Google and Microsoft Raise Local AI Model Storage Requirement to 20GB

Google recently updated Chrome's help documentation, stating that devices need about 20GB of free disk space before the browser downloads its local AI model. Earlier, Chrome's automatic download of a 4GB AI model raised concerns about storage usage.

Google explains that 20GB is just the minimum threshold to start the download, and the actual model size is much smaller. Chrome also requires an unmetered network connection and sufficient hardware performance.

Microsoft Edge has similar requirements, raising the minimum storage to 20GB and adding a GPU requirement of at least 5.5GB VRAM. Edge also has an auto-cleanup feature that deletes the local AI model when free space drops below 10GB.

Users can turn off the on-device AI feature in Chrome's settings, while Edge relies on automatic cleanup. This move aims to balance AI features with user experience, but the high storage threshold may affect devices with limited disk space.