Who should use this model?
- Fast advanced math reasoning on CUDA stacks where Hugging Face and SGLang setup is acceptable.
Choose something else when
- Avoid as a beginner default until Ollama, GGUF, LM Studio, or MLX paths mature publicly.
What hardware makes sense?
The download is only part of the memory needed. Leave room for the app, the input it processes, and other open programs. For chat models, context includes the instructions, conversation, and answer. Longer context needs more memory.
- CPU only
- Use a smaller model for this memory limit.
- 8GB system memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
- 16GB system memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
- 32GB system memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
- 8GB GPU memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
- 12GB GPU memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
- 24GB GPU memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
- Apple unified memory
- Check this model with your exact hardware and settings before choosing it.
Model facts that change the decision
- Parameters
- 3.8B
- Input
- Text
- Published context limit
- 64,000 tokens
- Model format
- safetensors
- Languages
- Unknown
Check the setup instructions
A ready-to-follow setup for a local chat app is not supplied here. Follow the official model card for this exact model and task.
Conditions that change the answer
- Best treated as an advanced or watchlist entry until Ollama, GGUF, LM Studio, MLX, and llama.cpp support are manually supported. Microsoft positions it for math reasoning, not broad general assistant use.
- Commercial use: Permitted under MIT license; verify deployment stack and application obligations before commercial use.
- Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning is the newer fast math-reasoning variant, built around Microsoft’s SambaY hybrid architecture. It looks promising for CUDA developers, but beginner local workflows remain less supported than mini-reasoning for catalog use today.
Read the controlling license text →