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Liquid AI, the startup fashioned by former Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT) researchers to develop novel AI mannequin architectures past the widely-used “Transformers“, right this moment introduced the discharge of LEAP aka the “Liquid Edge AI Platform,” a cross-platform software program improvement package (SDK) designed to make it simpler for builders to combine small language fashions (SLMs) immediately into cellular functions.
Alongside LEAP, the corporate additionally launched Apollo, a companion iOS app for testing these fashions regionally, furthering Liquid AI’s mission to allow privacy-preserving, environment friendly AI on shopper {hardware}.
The LEAP SDK arrives at a time when many builders are looking for options to cloud-only AI providers as a result of considerations over latency, value, privateness, and offline availability.
LEAP addresses these wants head-on with a local-first method that permits small fashions to run immediately on-device, lowering dependence on cloud infrastructure.
Constructed for cellular devs with no prior ML expertise required
LEAP is designed for builders who wish to construct with AI however might not have deep experience in machine studying.
In keeping with Liquid AI, the SDK could be added to an iOS or Android challenge with only a few traces of code, and calling a neighborhood mannequin is supposed to really feel as acquainted as interacting with a conventional cloud API.
“Our analysis exhibits builders are transferring past cloud-only AI and in search of trusted companions to assist them construct on-device,” stated Ramin Hasani, co-founder and CEO of Liquid AI, in a weblog publish saying the information right this moment on Liquid’s web site. “LEAP is our reply—a versatile, end-to-end deployment platform constructed from the bottom as much as make highly effective, environment friendly, and personal edge AI really accessible.”
As soon as built-in, builders can choose a mannequin from the built-in LEAP mannequin library, which incorporates compact fashions as small as 300MB — light-weight sufficient for contemporary telephones with as little as 4GB of RAM (!!) and up.
The SDK handles native inference, reminiscence optimization, and machine compatibility, simplifying the standard edge deployment course of.
LEAP is OS- and model-agnostic by design. At launch, it helps each iOS and Android, and presents compatibility with Liquid AI’s personal Liquid Basis Fashions (LFMs) in addition to many well-liked open-source small fashions.
The aim: a unified ecosystem for edge AI
Past mannequin execution, LEAP positions itself as an all-in-one platform for locating, adapting, testing, and deploying SLMs for edge use.
Builders can browse a curated mannequin catalog with varied quantization and checkpoint choices, permitting them to tailor efficiency and reminiscence footprint to the constraints of the goal machine.
Liquid AI emphasizes that enormous fashions are usually generalists, whereas small fashions usually carry out greatest when optimized for a slender set of duties. LEAP’s unified system is structured round that precept, providing instruments for fast iteration and deployment in real-world cellular environments.
The SDK additionally comes with a developer neighborhood hosted on Discord, the place Liquid AI presents workplace hours, help, occasions, and competitions to encourage experimentation and suggestions.
Apollo: like Testflight for native AI fashions
To enhance LEAP, Liquid AI additionally launched Apollo, a free iOS app that lets builders and customers work together with LEAP-compatible fashions in a neighborhood, offline setting.
Initially a separate cellular app startup that allowed customers to speak with LLMs privately on machine, which Liquid acquired earlier this 12 months, Apollo has been rebuilt to help your entire LEAP mannequin library.
Apollo is designed for low-friction experimentation — builders can “vibe verify” a mannequin’s tone, latency, or output conduct proper on their telephones earlier than integrating it right into a manufacturing app. The app runs completely offline, preserving consumer privateness and lowering reliance on cloud compute.
Whether or not used as a light-weight dev device or a non-public AI assistant, Apollo displays Liquid AI’s broader push to decentralize AI entry and execution.
Constructed on the again of the LFM2 mannequin household introduced final week
LEAP SDK launch builds on Liquid AI’s July 10 announcement of LFM2, its second-generation basis mannequin household designed particularly for on-device workloads.
LFM2 fashions are available 350M, 700M, and 1.2B parameter sizes, and benchmark competitively with bigger fashions in velocity and accuracy throughout a number of analysis duties.
These fashions kind the spine of the LEAP mannequin library and are optimized for quick inference on CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs.
Free and prepared for devs to start out constructing
LEAP is presently free to make use of underneath a developer license that features the core SDK and mannequin library.
Liquid AI notes that premium enterprise options can be made accessible underneath a separate business license sooner or later, however that it’s taking inquiries from enterprise clients already via its web site contact kind.
LFM2 fashions are additionally free for tutorial use and business use by corporations with underneath $10 million in income, with bigger organizations required to contact the corporate for licensing.
Builders can get began by visiting the LEAP SDK web site, downloading Apollo from the App Retailer, or becoming a member of the Liquid AI developer neighborhood on Discord.
