Microcontroller

Yes, you can run LLM commands on an ESP32. A 28.9M-parameter language model runs fully on-device on an ESP32-S3 at about 9.88 tokens per second, with 25M parameters stored in flash using Google’s Per-Layer Embeddings. However, models this small cannot follow instructions, answer questions, or write code — so true command execution requires either a more capable chip like the ESP32-P4 or a cloud-assisted setup. Why Run an LLM on a $6 Microcontroller The ESP32 family is the most popular microcontroller line in the maker and IoT world, and it costs as little as $6 to $10 per board. Running a language model on it means you get local, private, offline inference on hardware that costs less than a cup of coffee. There is no cloud bill, no network dependency, and no data leaving your device. ...

Introduction — Why Run a Language Model on an $8 Microcontroller? The idea of running a language model on a microcontroller that costs less than a cup of coffee sounds improbable, but the ESP32-S3 makes it a reality. With dual-core Xtensa LX7 processors running at up to 240 MHz, 512 KB of internal SRAM, and support for up to 8 MB of external octal SPI PSRAM, this $6–8 chip can execute small language models (SLMs) entirely offline — no cloud, no WiFi dependency, no API keys required. ...