Cited by 171IoT and Edge/Fog ComputingAdvanced Neural Network ApplicationsTopic Modeling

A Review on Edge Large Language Models: Design, Execution, and Applications

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Zheng, Yue, Chen, Yuhao, Qian, Bin, Shi, Xiufang, Shu, Yuanchao, Chen, Jiming·2025·ACM Computing Surveys

Abstract

Large language models (LLMs) have revolutionized natural language processing with their exceptional understanding, synthesizing, and reasoning capabilities. However, deploying LLMs on resource-constrained edge devices presents significant challenges due to computational limitations, memory constraints, and edge hardware heterogeneity. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in edge LLMs, covering the entire lifecycle—from resource-efficient model design and pre-deployment strategies to runtime inference optimizations. It also explores on-device applications across various domains. By synthesizing state-of-the-art techniques and identifying future research directions, this survey bridges the gap between the immense potential of LLMs and the constraints of edge computing.

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  • Even 1-bit models (e.g., approximately 15.4 GB for 70B parameters) may exceed the capacity of highly resource-constrained devices.

    “Nevertheless, even 1-bit models ( e . g ., approximately 15.4 GB for 70B parameters [7]) may exceed the capacity of highly resource-constrained devices [15].”

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Zheng, Y., Chen, Y., Qian, B., Shi, X., Shu, Y., & Chen, J.
Affiliations
  • Zhejiang University of Technology (CN)
  • Zhejiang University (CN)
Venue
ACM Computing Surveys
Published
2025-03-23
Volume
57
Issue
8
Pages
1-35
ISSN
  • 0360-0300 (ISSN-L)
  • 1557-7341
OpenAlex
W4407881031
Cited by
169
References
171
Citations by year
2026: 114 · 2025: 55
FWCI
70.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • ACM Computing Surveys (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (public-domain)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (92467301, U23A20326, 62293511, and 62372414)
  • Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province (2025C01061 and 2025C01012)
  • ZJUCSE-Enflame cloud and edge intelligence joint laboratory
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › IoT and Edge/Fog Computing
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Advanced Neural Network Applications
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Topic Modeling
Keywords
edge computing, resource-constrained devices, model compression, inference optimization, on-device inference, model design, heterogeneous hardware, memory constraints

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