Embodiments of a method and system for identifying clusters in collections of data entities are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes defining a metric space over the data entities. A distance function of the metric space may satisfy the triangle inequality. The method may include determining, based on the distance function of the metric space, a value for a number of clusters that minimizes a number of data bits used to define a model of the collection of the data entities. The model may thereby describe the collection of data entities using a minimum description length (MDL). The method may include assigning data entities of the collection of data entities to the clusters. The number of clusters to which the data entities are assigned may correspond to the determined value.