Building vector indexes remotely using GPUs
Introduced 3.0
This is an experimental feature and is not recommended for use in a production environment. For updates on the progress of the feature or if you want to leave feedback, see the associated GitHub issue.
Starting with version 3.0, OpenSearch supports building vector indexes using a GPU-accelerated remote index build service. Using GPUs dramatically reduces index build times and decreases costs. For benchmarking results, see this blog post.
Prerequisites
Before configuring the remote index build settings, ensure you fulfill the following prerequisites. For more information about updating dynamic settings, see Dynamic settings.
Step 1: Enable the remote index build service
Enable the remote index build service for both the cluster and the chosen index by configuring the following settings.
| Setting | Static/Dynamic | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
knn.feature.remote_index_build.enabled | Dynamic | false | Enables remote vector index building for the cluster. |
index.knn.remote_index_build.enabled | Dynamic | false | Enables remote index building for the index. Currently, the remote index build service supports Faiss indexes with the hnsw method and the default 32-bit floating-point (FP32) vectors. |
Step 2: Create and register the remote vector repository
The remote vector repository acts as an intermediate object store between the OpenSearch cluster and the remote build service. The cluster uploads vectors and document IDs to the repository. The remote build service retrieves the data, builds the index externally, and uploads the completed result back to the repository.
To create and register the repository, follow the steps in Register repository. Then set the knn.remote_index_build.vector_repo dynamic setting to the name of the registered repository.
The remote build service currently only supports Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) repositories.
Step 3: Set up a remote vector index builder
Configure the remote endpoint in the k-NN settings by setting knn.remote_index_build.client.endpoint to a running remote vector index builder instance. For instructions on setting up the remote service, see the user guide.
Configuring remote index build settings
The remote index build service supports several additional, optional settings. For information about configuring any remaining remote index build settings, see Remote index build settings.
Using the remote index build service
Once the remote index build service is configured, any index on which it is enabled will use the remote vector index builder for builds that meet the configured index.knn.remote_index_build.size_threshold.