AI engineering glossary · Computing foundations
What is data compression?
Data compression (also called Compression): Encoding data using fewer bits than the original by removing redundancy. Lossless methods restore the exact original, as in ZIP, while lossy methods discard detail that matters less, as in JPEG images.
Data compression: an example
A ZIP file of repetitive text logs might be only a tenth of the original size and unzips to identical content.
Related terms
More Computing foundations terms
Where you learn it
Data compression is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.