Giant models grab headlines, but some Chinese start-ups bet on smaller phone-ready AI

As the global artificial intelligence race pushes the limits of scale with massive, trillion-parameter models, a parallel contest is heating up over smaller systems. Instead of relying on sprawling, power-hungry cloud data centres, a growing number of tech companies in China and elsewhere are turning to lightweight models designed to run entirely on smartphones or laptops. Proponents said this localised approach would be a game-changer, promising faster processing, enhanced data privacy and...