Agentic AI Reference Architecture

Knowledge & Data · Software component

Hierarchical Chunker

Software componentKnowledge & DataKnowledge & Dataarc:HierarchicalChunker

A document chunker that produces nested chunks mirroring document structure (document, section, paragraph) so each chunk retains its structural context.

Responsibility. Splits documents into structure-preserving nested chunks.

Also known as: Hierarchical chunking, Recursive chunking

Variant of Document Chunker abstract

When to choose. Choose when document structure (sections, subsections) must be preserved so retrieved chunks keep their structural context, accepting more complex retrieval logic.

specializesalternative toalternative tois target of alternativeToDocument Chunker: specializesDocument ChunkerOverlapping Window Chunker: alternative toOverlapping Window ChunkerSemantic Boundary Chunker: alternative toSemantic Boundary ChunkerFixed-Length Chunker: is target of alternativeToFixed-Length Chunker
Direct neighbourhood (hover for relationship types)

Relationships

alternative to variability

Classification

Quality attributes
Functional suitability: correctness and validity (ISO/IEC 25010 | NIST AI RMF: valid)
Risks mitigated
Loss of document structureContext spanning multiple sections

Sources

  1. Ch5.8: T. Nguyen, "Semantic Memory," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.8. ISBN: 9798244538229.
  2. Ch6.3A: T. Nguyen, "ETL Pipeline Fundamentals," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 6.3A. ISBN: 9798244538229.