Google’s DeepMind AI research team has introduced a new open-source AI model named Gemma 3 270M, characterized by its 270 million parameters, a notably smaller scale compared to many larger models that exceed 70 billion parameters. The goal of this model is to provide high efficiency, enabling developers to run it directly on smartphones and locally without the need for an internet connection. Internal tests on a Pixel 9 Pro SoC have demonstrated its capability in handling complex, domain-specific tasks while allowing for rapid fine-tuning.
The model is equipped with 170 million embedding parameters and 100 million transformer block parameters, making it compatible for quick deployment in resource-constrained environments. It has been noted for strong performance on instruction-following tasks, evidenced by a score of 51.2% on the IFEval benchmark, positioning it favorably against other smaller models. However, critics have pointed out that it falls short when compared to similar models like Liquid AI’s LFM2-350M, which recently scored 65.12%.
An interesting feature of Gemma 3 270M is its energy efficiency; internal tests indicated that 25 conversations consumed only 0.75% of a device’s battery. This aspect is particularly valuable for on-device applications prioritizing privacy and offline functionality. The model can be pretrained and instruction-tuned, making it immediately useful for general tasks.
In a demonstration of its creative potential, Google showcased a Bedtime Story Generator app built with the model, capable of generating engaging stories based on user-defined parameters without relying on cloud resources.
Gemma 3 270M is released under the Gemma Terms of Use, allowing for modification and distribution under specific conditions. Although the license is not considered traditional open-source, it grants significant commercial use rights, emphasizing compliance with Google’s policy and applicable laws for developers.
Source: https://venturebeat.com/ai/google-unveils-ultra-small-and-efficient-open-source-ai-model-gemma-3-270m-that-can-run-on-smartphones/