“32-bit vs. 64-bit: Choosing the Right Integer for Your Needs”

Shamanth B C
2 min readOct 20, 2023

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One often gets confused with using int 32 vs using int 64 as data type in their journey of AI. In this blog i have simplified it for you. The terms “int32” and “int64” refer to different data types in computer programming, specifically in relation to integers. These data types differ in terms of the range of values they can represent and the amount of memory they occupy:

  1. int32 (32-bit integer):
  • An int32, also known as a 32-bit integer, is a data type that can represent integer values using 32 bits of memory.
  • It can store values ranging from approximately -2.1 billion to 2.1 billion. The exact range is typically from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.
  • Int32 is commonly used for integer values when you don’t need extremely large numbers or when memory usage needs to be minimized.
  1. int64 (64-bit integer):
  • An int64, also known as a 64-bit integer, uses 64 bits of memory to store integer values.
  • It provides a much larger range than int32 and can represent values ranging from approximately -9.2 quintillion to 9.2 quintillion. The exact range is typically from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807.
  • Int64 is used when you need to work with very large integer values, such as timestamps or other values that may exceed the range of int32.

To summarize, the key difference between int-32 and int-64 is the range of the values they can represent and the amount of memory they use. Int64 can represent a wider range of values but consumes more memory compared to int32. The choice between these data types depends on the specific requirements of your programming task, including the expected size of the values you need to work with and memory constraints.

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