Small Language Models: Why On-Device AI Is Winning

Smaller, faster, private\n\nModels in the 1–8B parameter range, running on neural processing units in modern phones and PCs, now handle summarisation, drafting and assistants offline.\n\n## Why it matters\n\n- **Latency:** responses in milliseconds\n- **Cost:** no per-token cloud bill\n- **Privacy:** data never leaves the device\n\n## Hybrid is the answer\n\nThe best products route simple tasks locally and escalate complex reasoning to frontier cloud models.