Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code.

Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri
As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the CoreNet library, and four instruction tuned models. Apple uses a layer-wise scaling strategy that is aimed at improving accuracy and efficiency.

Apple provided code, training logs, and multiple versions rather than just the final trained model, and the researchers behind the project hope that it will lead to faster progress and "more trustworthy results" in the natural language AI field.

OpenELM, a state-of-the-art open language model. OpenELM uses a layer-wise scaling strategy to efficiently allocate parameters within each layer of the transformer model, leading to enhanced accuracy. For example, with a parameter budget of approximately one billion parameters, OpenELM exhibits a 2.36% improvement in accuracy compared to OLMo while requiring 2x fewer pre-training tokens.

Diverging from prior practices that only provide model weights and inference code, and pre-train on private datasets, our release includes the complete framework for training and evaluation of the language model on publicly available datasets, including training logs, multiple checkpoints, and pre-training configurations.

Apple says that it is releasing the OpenELM models to "empower and enrich the open research community" with state-of-the-art language models. Sharing open source models gives researchers a way to investigate risks and data and model biases. Developers and companies are able to use the models as-is or make modifications.

The open sharing of information has become an important tool for Apple to recruit top engineers, scientists, and experts because it provides opportunities for research papers that would not normally have been able to be published under Apple's secretive policies.

Apple has not yet brought these kinds of AI capabilities to its devices, but iOS 18 is expected to include a number of new AI features, and rumors suggest that Apple is planning to run its large language models on-device for privacy purposes.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

Populus Avatar
16 months ago

What? No comments? Hey, ChatGPT, generate me a comment....
[Hey ChatGPT, please generate a comment in the style of a typical MacRumors average user, with a touch of acid humor, regarding this piece of news.]

"Oh great, Apple's finally joining the open-source party—just a decade late and probably still with strings attached somewhere in those 'open' terms. They're throwing us a bone with OpenELM, but let's be real, they’re probably just doing it to lure in some AI hotshots tired of their corporate overlords. Now we just have to sit back and wait for iOS 18, where they'll inevitably limit these models to the latest hardware, forcing us all to upgrade. Because, you know, my current iPhone can't possibly handle a couple more AI tricks without combusting."

Attachment Image
Score: 78 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
16 months ago

It's clear they are behind and need help. OpenAI's GPT-4 has 1.76 trillion parameters. Apple's OpemELM model has 3 billions parameters.
Does ChatGPT even attempt to run on device? You know, the whole point of this?

The thing I’ve noticed about all these AI hype-people is they certainly know what the “leader” of the pack day to day is, but somehow can’t imagine smaller models being a better solution for a given task. Instead of a one size fits all approach, what’s wrong with invoking a trained AI that is smaller but specifically suited for the task at hand *automatically based on the context of what you’re currently doing*?

Just some food for thought…
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
heretiq Avatar
16 months ago

Does ChatGPT even attempt to run on device? You know, the whole point of this?

The thing I’ve noticed about all these AI hype-people is they certainly know what the “leader” of the pack day to day is, but somehow can’t imagine smaller models being a better solution for a given task. Instead of a one size fits all approach, what’s wrong with invoking a trained AI that is smaller but specifically suited for the task at hand *automatically based on the context of what you’re currently doing*?

Just some food for thought…
Thank you for adding something meaningful to this otherwise nauseatingly cynical thread. ??
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
socialwill Avatar
16 months ago

All this for an improved Siri is crazy ngl
Yep, it will now reply 10x faster with "I'm sorry, I seem to be having a problem right now"
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arislan Avatar
16 months ago

It's clear they are behind and need help. OpenAI's GPT-4 has 1.76 trillion parameters. Apple's OpemELM model has 3 billions parameters.
And does that 1.76 trillion parameter model run on a phone without cloud servers?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
heretiq Avatar
16 months ago

Apple finally decides to join the open-source party, huh? Only a decade late and I bet there are still some hidden strings attached to their so-called 'open' terms. They're throwing us a bone with OpenELM, but let's be real, they're probably just trying to lure in some AI hotshots tired of their corporate overlords. And now we have to wait for iOS 18, where they'll undoubtedly limit these models to the latest hardware, forcing us all to upgrade. Because, you know, my current iPhone surely can't handle a few more AI tricks without spontaneously combusting. Classic Apple move.
Hmmm .. FYI: it seems that @Populus beat you to using ChatGPT to “contribute” to the discussion; only difference is that he acknowledged he was using it .. ?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)