Running Huge LLMs on Your Laptop: Apple's 'LLM in a Flash' Breakthrough

research #llm 📝 Blog|Analyzed: Mar 19, 2026 00:17•

Published: Mar 18, 2026 23:56

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1 min read

•Simon Willison

Analysis

This is exciting news for anyone interested in running powerful Generative AI models locally. By leveraging techniques from Apple's research, it's now possible to run a 397B parameter Large Language Model on a MacBook Pro with limited memory, unlocking incredible potential for on-device inference. This demonstrates amazing advancements in efficient LLM usage.

Key Takeaways

•A 397B parameter LLM is running locally on a MacBook Pro.
•The technique utilizes Apple's 'LLM in a Flash' paper.
•Inference speed reaches 5.5+ tokens/second.

Reference / Citation

"Dan used techniques described in Apple's 2023 paper LLM in a flash: Efficient Large Language Model Inference with Limited Memory."

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Simon WillisonMar 18, 2026 23:56

* Cited for critical analysis under Article 32.

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Source: Simon Willison