Image generation

PixArt

A compact 0.6B image model with quality on par with much larger ones. The Sigma version does 4K; suits modest hardware.

The last open version came out in Apr 2024. The family has not been updated for a long time: the model still works, but do not expect fixes or new sizes.

Developer
Huawei Noah's Ark Lab and partners, China
First release
Nov 2023
Latest release
Apr 2024
Sizes
0.6B
License
Commercial use allowedOpenRAIL++ (allows commercial use, prohibits harmful use)
Running
On your own serverNeeds a GPU
Industries
Marketing and content, Media and production
Deploy on your server Hugging Face GitHub

What it does

  • Illustrations for articles and social media
  • Backgrounds for product cards
  • Quick visual drafts

Where it is used

MarketingSmall businessMedia

Hardware requirements

LaptopLaptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions
fits
1 GPUOne GPU with 16–80 GB — mid-size versions
fits
ClusterServer with several GPUs — flagship versions
no versions

Versions

  1. PixArt-Sigma
  2. PixArt-LCM
  3. PixArt-alpha

How to run it

On your own serverWeights are downloaded from Hugging Face and served with vLLM (load and API) or llama.cpp (modest hardware). The model then runs in a closed network with no per-request fees.Hugging Face
How much hardware you needCalculate the VRAM for the model size, context length and number of concurrent requests.Open the hardware calculator

I can set this up end to end: pick the model size, deploy it on your server and connect it to your systems.

Frequently asked questions

Can PixArt be used in a commercial project?

Yes. License: OpenRAIL++ (allows commercial use, prohibits harmful use). It allows commercial use, but it is still worth having a lawyer review the license before launch.

What hardware does PixArt need?

At minimum: Laptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions. Without a GPU the model is not practical. You can calculate the exact VRAM for your model size and context in the hardware calculator.

Does PixArt support Russian?

Language does not matter for this model: it does not work with text.

Where can I download PixArt and what does it cost?

The PixArt weights are open and free to download. You only pay for the hardware it runs on and for the setup. Source links are at the bottom of this page.

How I deploy it for clients

  1. SelectionI pick the model size for your task and hardware and test it on your examples.
  2. DeploymentI deploy it on your server or in a closed network and provide an API.
  3. Fine-tuningI fine-tune it on your data (LoRA) or connect a knowledge base — whichever is cheaper for the task.
  4. IntegrationI connect it to your CRM, ERP, bot, website or team chat and set up monitoring.

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Details

Source: huggingface.co/PixArt-alpha/PixArt-Sigma-XL-2-1024-MS. Data checked against the model card on 22 Sep 2026. Have a lawyer review the license before commercial launch.