QLIP Stack (ANNA) Pay-As-You-Go Product Terms

Supplemental terms for access to The Stage AI, Inc. QLIP framework and ANNA

Effective Date: April 8, 2026
Version: v1.0
Company: The Stage AI, Inc. (“TheStage”, “we”, “us”)
Address: 702 Rockland Road, Rockland, DE 19732
Contact: finance@thestage.ai

These QLIP Stack (ANNA) Product Terms (“QLIP Terms”) govern Customer’s access to and use of the QLIP framework and related services and software made available by TheStage (collectively, the “QLIP Stack”) through the TheStage platform (the “Platform”). These QLIP Terms are incorporated into and form part of the Platform Terms of Service or other master agreement between Customer and TheStage (the “Master Terms”). If there is a conflict, these QLIP Terms control only for the QLIP Stack.

By accessing or using the QLIP Stack, Customer agrees to these QLIP Terms.

1. Definitions

Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning given in the Master Terms.

  • “AUP” means The Stage AI, Inc. AI Acceptable Use Policy.

  • “ANNA” means the Automated Neural Network Acceleration component of the QLIP Stack that assists with automated analysis and selection of model optimization configurations.

  • “API Token” means an authentication and authorization token generated via the Platform and used to access the QLIP Stack and related Platform APIs.

  • “Authorized Users” means Customer’s employees and contractors that Customer authorizes to use the QLIP Stack under Customer’s Account, solely for Customer’s internal business purposes.

  • “Authorized Environment” means (a) the Platform and any compute instances, Projects, or Containers provisioned through the Platform, and/or (b) any other environment expressly authorized by TheStage for QLIP use (for example, a Customer-controlled environment approved for installation), in each case subject to these QLIP Terms.

  • “Container” means a Docker (or OCI-compatible) container instance created and managed through the Platform (including via the TheStage CLI), based on Platform-approved container images, used to execute tasks and workloads on a server instance. Containers may be standalone or associated with a Project.

  • “Customer Model” means any model, weights, checkpoints, configurations, or related artifacts that Customer or its Authorized Users upload, provide, reference, or otherwise make available for optimization, compilation, testing, or deployment using the QLIP Stack.

  • “Customer Artifacts” means any outputs generated from processing a Customer Model using the QLIP Stack, such as compiled engines, quantized or sparsified variants, configuration files (including QLIP configurations), logs or reports generated for Customer, and deployment descriptors, excluding TheStage IP and Third-Party Materials.

  • “Project” means a logical workspace within the Platform used to organize Customer resources and activity (including instances, Containers, repositories, configurations, task history, and logs) related to Customer workloads.

  • “QLIP Stack” means the QLIP framework, APIs, libraries, packages, tools, services, and related components made available by TheStage, which may include modules for quantization, sparsification, compilation, and serving (including ANNA).

  • “Third-Party Materials” means third-party software, libraries, frameworks, model weights, datasets, or other content that is included in, distributed with, used by, or required for the QLIP Stack (for example, open-source components and hardware vendor toolchains).

  • “Usage” means measured consumption of the QLIP Stack (for example, runtime minutes, node-hours, requests, compilation jobs, analysis jobs, tokens, storage, or other units displayed in the Platform or documentation).

  • “Wallet” means Customer’s prepaid platform balance funded via Stripe or other supported payment methods, from which fees and charges are deducted.

2. Product Description

The QLIP Stack is an optimization framework for neural networks. Depending on the configuration and enabled modules, it may support workflows such as fine-tuning, quantization, pruning/sparsification, compilation for accelerated inference, and deployment and serving of Customer Models.

The QLIP Stack may be delivered as (a) a hosted experience on the Platform (including within Projects and Containers) and/or (b) a downloadable library or packages made available for installation in an Authorized Environment. Access may require an API Token and additional access approval by TheStage.

The QLIP Stack may include features such as:

  • model analysis and recommendation of optimization configurations (including via ANNA);

  • quantization and sparsification workflows for PyTorch models;

  • compilation for accelerated inference on supported hardware targets;

  • tools and interfaces for deploying and serving models (which may integrate with third-party serving systems);

  • serialization, caching, and artifact management for Customer Artifacts; and

  • usage limits, quotas, rate limits, or concurrency controls.

3. License and Access Rights

3.1 License Grant. Subject to these QLIP Terms, the Master Terms, compliance with the AUP, and payment of applicable fees, TheStage grants Customer a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right during the Term to access and use the QLIP Stack in an Authorized Environment for Customer’s internal business purposes.

3.2 Permitted Use. Subject to the Master Terms, these QLIP Terms, the AUP, and applicable Third-Party Materials terms, Customer may use the QLIP Stack to:

  • optimize, compile, test, and deploy Customer Models that Customer has the right to use;

  • run optimization and compilation jobs within Projects and/or Containers (where supported);

  • generate and use Customer Artifacts in Customer’s products and services, to the extent permitted by applicable model licenses and third-party terms;

  • evaluate performance and quality trade-offs of Customer Models (including internal benchmarking);

  • use available APIs, SDKs, or CLI tooling to integrate QLIP workflows into Customer’s development and deployment pipelines; and

  • create internal documentation and training materials for Authorized Users regarding use of the QLIP Stack.

3.3 Access Controls; Additional Approval. TheStage may require an API Token and additional access enablement for QLIP. TheStage may deny, suspend, or revoke access where reasonably necessary to protect the Platform, comply with law, enforce these QLIP Terms, or manage capacity and security.

4. Restrictions and Prohibited Use

Customer must not (and must not permit any third party to):

  • copy, modify, translate, or create derivative works of the QLIP Stack (except to the extent expressly permitted by applicable open-source licenses for Third-Party Materials);

  • reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover source code, underlying ideas, algorithms, or trade secrets of the QLIP Stack, except to the extent such restriction is prohibited by applicable law;

  • circumvent or bypass authentication, API Token requirements, technical limitations, usage caps, or access controls;

  • use the QLIP Stack to develop, train, or improve competing products or services (including by using outputs to replicate TheStage features);

  • resell, rent, lease, sublicense, or provide the QLIP Stack on a standalone basis as a service bureau, managed service, or hosted offering for third parties;

  • share, publish, or disclose TheStage-provided package repositories, wheel files, credentials, API Tokens, or other access mechanisms except to Authorized Users who are bound by confidentiality obligations at least as protective as these QLIP Terms;

  • remove or obscure proprietary notices, labels, or watermarks from the QLIP Stack;

  • use the QLIP Stack for unlawful, harmful, or prohibited purposes (including as restricted in the AUP), or in violation of export controls or sanctions laws;

  • run security testing (including penetration testing) of the Platform or QLIP Stack without TheStage’s prior written consent; or

  • publish or disclose benchmark results or comparative evaluations of the QLIP Stack without TheStage’s prior written consent (except where prohibited by law).

5. Customer Responsibilities

  • Customer is responsible for all activity under its Account and for ensuring Authorized Users comply with the Master Terms, AUP, and these QLIP Terms.

  • Customer is responsible for obtaining and maintaining all rights, licenses, and consents needed for Customer Models and any third-party models, datasets, or code used with the QLIP Stack.

  • Customer is responsible for validating results, including performance, correctness, safety, and regulatory compliance, before deploying or relying on any Customer Artifacts in production.

  • Customer must secure API Tokens, credentials, and any systems used to access the QLIP Stack, and promptly notify TheStage of suspected compromise.

  • Customer is responsible for backing up Customer Models and Customer Artifacts; TheStage is not a backup or archival service unless expressly stated in the Platform.

6. Customer Data, Logs, and Telemetry

6.1 Processing. Customer grants TheStage and its subprocessors a limited right to host, copy, transmit, and process Customer Models and other Customer Content solely to provide, maintain, and secure the QLIP Stack and the Platform, and as otherwise permitted under the Master Terms and Privacy Policy.

6.2 Logging and Diagnostics. TheStage may collect and use operational metrics, logs, and diagnostic information related to QLIP usage (for example, job metadata, performance counters, error traces, and system telemetry) to provide, secure, and improve the QLIP Stack and Platform and for billing and abuse prevention. TheStage will handle personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

6.3 No Training by Default. Unless expressly stated in the Platform or agreed in writing, TheStage does not use Customer Models, Customer Content, or Customer Artifacts to train or improve TheStage foundation models or third-party models. TheStage may use aggregated and de-identified usage analytics to improve service performance and reliability.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 TheStage IP. TheStage and its licensors retain all right, title, and interest in and to the QLIP Stack, including all software, documentation, interfaces, and improvements (excluding Customer Models and Customer Artifacts). No rights are granted except as expressly set out in these QLIP Terms.

7.2 Customer IP. Customer retains all right, title, and interest in and to Customer Models and Customer Content. Subject to Section 7.3, Customer also retains its rights in Customer Artifacts.

7.3 Third-Party Terms. Customer Models and Customer Artifacts may include or depend on Third-Party Materials (including hardware toolchains and open-source components). Customer’s rights to use, distribute, or deploy any Customer Artifact are subject to applicable Third-Party Materials terms (including any terms applicable to the underlying model being optimized). Customer is solely responsible for compliance with those terms.

7.4 Feedback. If Customer provides feedback or suggestions regarding the QLIP Stack, Customer grants TheStage a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use and incorporate that feedback without restriction.

8. Pay-As-You-Go Fees, Metering, and Wallet

8.1 Usage Fees. Customer will pay pay-as-you-go fees for Usage of the QLIP Stack at the rates and in the units displayed in the Platform, documentation, or an applicable Order. TheStage may change rates prospectively as permitted under the Master Terms.

8.2 Metering. Usage is measured by TheStage’s systems. Metering may be based on factors such as runtime, node-hours, number of jobs, artifact storage, requests, or other consumption metrics. TheStage’s metering records are the definitive measure for billing purposes unless proven inaccurate.

8.3 Wallet Funding and Deductions. Customer funds its Wallet via Stripe or another supported payment method. Subscription fees (if any) and Usage Fees for the QLIP Stack are deducted from the Wallet. If the Wallet balance is insufficient, TheStage may pause or limit QLIP jobs, throttle usage, or suspend access until the Wallet is replenished.

8.4 No Bank Account. The Wallet is a prepaid platform balance, not a bank account or payment account, and is non-transferable. Except as required by law or expressly stated in the Master Terms, Wallet balances are non-refundable.

9. Changes; Deprecation; Experimental Features

TheStage may modify, update, or discontinue the QLIP Stack or any component, including changing supported hardware targets, algorithms, APIs, or interfaces. Some features may be offered as beta or experimental and are provided AS IS. TheStage may set or change limits to protect system reliability and security.

10. Disclaimers

THE QLIP STACK IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THESTAGE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE QLIP STACK WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT OPTIMIZATION WILL IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OR PRESERVE QUALITY. MODEL OPTIMIZATION MAY RESULT IN ACCURACY DEGRADATION, UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR, OR INCOMPATIBILITIES. CUSTOMER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR TESTING, VALIDATION, AND DEPLOYMENT DECISIONS.

THESTAGE MAKES NO WARRANTY REGARDING THIRD-PARTY MATERIALS, INCLUDING HARDWARE VENDOR TOOLCHAINS OR SERVING SYSTEMS. USE OF THIRD-PARTY MATERIALS IS AT CUSTOMER’S OWN RISK AND SUBJECT TO THEIR TERMS.

11. Limitation of Liability

The limitation of liability provisions in the Master Terms apply to these QLIP Terms and the QLIP Stack.

12. Indemnification

Customer will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless TheStage and its affiliates from and against any claim arising out of or relating to (a) Customer Models, Customer Content, or Customer Artifacts; (b) Customer’s use of the QLIP Stack in violation of these QLIP Terms, the AUP, or law; or (c) Customer’s breach of Third-Party Materials terms.

13. Term; Suspension; Termination

These QLIP Terms apply during the Term specified in the Master Terms (or, if none, while Customer accesses the QLIP Stack). TheStage may suspend or terminate access to the QLIP Stack as permitted under the Master Terms, including for non-payment, suspected compromise, or violation of these QLIP Terms or the AUP.