Retrieval Result Cache

Data storeKnowledge & DataKnowledge & Dataarc:RetrievalResultCache

A cache of previously retrieved documents and context, reused to cut retrieval latency for repeated queries and to continue service when live retrieval fails.

Responsibility. Serves cached documents when retrieval is unavailable.

Also known as: Cached documents, Cached retrieval fallback, Top-K query result cache, Hot chunk cache, Retrieved context cache, Context cache

Direct neighbourhood (hover for relationship types)

Relationships

is configured by structural

Cache Policy Ch6.5

caches dependency

is read by dependency

Graceful Degradation Manager Ch3.10

is written by dependency

Cache Invalidator Ch6.5

Design guidance

SHOULD serve as fallback when retrieval fails rather than erroring.
SHOULD key entries on query embedding plus retrieval parameters (top-K, filters).
SHOULD apply TTLs matched to knowledge base update frequency to bound staleness.

Quantitative guidance

As stated by the sources; verify before use.

Saves 100-300 ms retrieval latency per hit; retrieval-layer cache hit rates often exceed 40% (Ch6.5).

Classification

Patterns: Graceful degradationResult-level caching of popular queriesApproximate (embedding-similarity) query matchingCaching frequently accessed chunks in fast memory
Quality attributes: Reliability (ISO/IEC 25010 | NIST AI RMF: valid and reliable)
Risks mitigated: Vector database outageRepeated vector database searches for FAQ-style queries

Sources

Ch1.3: T. Nguyen, "Multi-Agent Systems," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 1.3. ISBN: 9798244538229.
Ch3.10: T. Nguyen, "Efficiency Metrics," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 3.10. ISBN: 9798244538229.
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.
Ch6.5: T. Nguyen, "Production RAG Systems," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 6.5. ISBN: 9798244538229.