Lucie 7B vs EuroLLM 9B Instruct
Side-by-side specs, benchmarks, and a verdict by use case.
Updated 2026-07-13
| Spec | Lucie 7B | EuroLLM 9B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | 7B | 9B |
| Author | OpenLLM-France | Utter Project / UE |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Context window | 0k | 0k |
| VRAM at Q4 | 5 GB | 6 GB |
| VRAM at Q5 | 6 GB | 7 GB |
| VRAM at Q8 | 9 GB | 10 GB |
| VRAM at FP16 | 16 GB | 18 GB |
| Use cases | chat, fr | chat, general, multilingual, fr |
Verdict
Both models sit in a similar size class. The pick depends on tags, license, and benchmarks rather than raw parameter count.
The two models at a glance
About Lucie 7B
A French-sovereign 7B model from OpenLLM-France, backed by CNRS and LINAGORA, with a fully transparent and auditable training corpus. Strengths: Full European data sovereignty story, Publicly available training corpus, Strong formal French output, Backed by CNRS and LINAGORA.
About EuroLLM 9B Instruct
An EU-funded 9B (Horizon Europe) covering 35 languages including all 24 official EU ones. Trained on 4T tokens on the MareNostrum5 supercomputer and released under Apache 2.0. Strengths: EU sovereignty — Horizon Europe funded, Apache 2.0 license, Best European open model at its scale, Strong coverage of all 24 official EU languages.
How they compare
Lucie 7B comes from OpenLLM-France and EuroLLM 9B Instruct from Utter Project / UE, they belong to the Lucie and EuroLLM families respectively. This comparison is built entirely from structured specs — parameter count, VRAM by quantization, context window, license, and published benchmark scores — so the verdict below reflects measurable differences rather than marketing claims.
At 7B vs 9B parameters, EuroLLM 9B Instruct is the larger of the two. At Q4, Lucie 7B fits in about 5 GB of VRAM versus 6 GB for the other — a 1 GB difference that matters on consumer GPUs.
The two models target different sweet spots: Lucie 7B is tuned for chat, fr, while EuroLLM 9B Instruct leans toward chat, general, multilingual, fr. Match the model to your dominant workload rather than to raw size.
On a typical mid-range GPU, Lucie 7B pushes roughly 35 tokens/sec versus 30, so it is the more responsive choice for interactive or high-volume use.
Memory, quantization & throughput
Across quantization levels, Lucie 7B requires Q4 ≈ 5 GB, Q5 ≈ 6 GB, Q8 ≈ 9 GB, FP16 ≈ 16 GB, while EuroLLM 9B Instruct requires Q4 ≈ 6 GB, Q5 ≈ 7 GB, Q8 ≈ 10 GB, FP16 ≈ 18 GB. In practice Lucie 7B fits an 8 GB card at Q4, so plan your GPU around the Q4 or Q5 figure unless you specifically need the higher fidelity of Q8 or FP16.
Without a GPU, Lucie 7B needs roughly 8 GB of system RAM to run on CPU and EuroLLM 9B Instruct about 12 GB — workable for offline use but far slower than GPU inference. On a mid-range GPU you can expect on the order of 35 tokens/sec from Lucie 7B and 30 from EuroLLM 9B Instruct, scaling up to 90 and 80 tokens/sec on high-end hardware.
Which fits your GPU
Here is the highest-quality quantization of each model that fits common GPU memory budgets, so you can match Lucie 7B or EuroLLM 9B Instruct to the card you actually own:
- On a 8 GB GPU: Lucie 7B runs at Q5 (6 GB); EuroLLM 9B Instruct runs at Q5 (7 GB).
- On a 12 GB GPU: Lucie 7B runs at Q8 (9 GB); EuroLLM 9B Instruct runs at Q8 (10 GB).
- On a 16 GB GPU: Lucie 7B runs at FP16 (16 GB); EuroLLM 9B Instruct runs at Q8 (10 GB).
- On a 24 GB GPU: Lucie 7B runs at FP16 (16 GB); EuroLLM 9B Instruct runs at FP16 (18 GB).
Benchmark scores
Reported benchmarks for Lucie 7B: MMLU (fr) 54.2, FrenchBench 68.
Bottom line: which should you pick?
- Pick Lucie 7B for lower VRAM and faster inference; pick EuroLLM 9B Instruct for maximum headline quality.
- Pick EuroLLM 9B Instruct if your workload is general, multilingual.
Which GPU should you buy to run EuroLLM 9B Instruct?
To run EuroLLM 9B Instruct locally at Q4, you need ~6 GB of VRAM. The best value for this is a RTX 5060 (8 GB VRAM).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Lucie 7B and EuroLLM 9B Instruct?
The headline differences: Lucie 7B is a 7B model and EuroLLM 9B Instruct is 9B. Below we break down VRAM by quantization, benchmark scores, and a use-case verdict so you can pick the right one.
Can Lucie 7B and EuroLLM 9B Instruct run on a 24 GB GPU?
At a Q4 quantization, Lucie 7B needs about 5 GB of VRAM and fits comfortably on a 24 GB GPU; EuroLLM 9B Instruct needs about 6 GB and fits comfortably on a 24 GB GPU. Lucie 7B is the lighter option for tight VRAM budgets.
Which is faster, Lucie 7B or EuroLLM 9B Instruct?
Lucie 7B is the smaller model (7B vs 9B), so on the same hardware it runs faster and uses less memory. The larger model trades speed for headline quality.
What licenses do Lucie 7B and EuroLLM 9B Instruct use?
Lucie 7B is licensed under Apache 2.0 and EuroLLM 9B Instruct under Apache 2.0.