Library / SDK
Retrieval & Memory
DiskANN
1Billion-scale 2nearest-neighbor 3search 4using 5SSD 6storage
the six Ws · specification
W1
Who
Maintained by Microsoft Research.
W2
What
Nearest-neighbor search over billions of vectors from SSD.
W3
Where
An embedded library in C++ and Python.
W4
When
When vector counts exceed what memory allows.
W5
Why
Serves huge indexes from disk with low latency.
W6
With
Your vectors and sufficient SSD storage.
W7
Watch
Vendor-maintained (Microsoft); open-source (MIT), library only. Runs locally; data stays on your machine.