Google Chrome is downloading a 4 GB Gemini Nano model onto users' machines without consent, with no opt-in, no opt-out short of enterprise tooling, and an automatic re-download every time the user deletes it. The pattern is identical to the Anthropic Claude Desktop case I wrote about last month, but the scale is between two and three orders of magnitude larger. This article does the legal analysis and, for the first time, the environmental analysis. The numbers are not small.
Your PC running an LLM is likely gonna hit its TDP limits
Debatable for a 4GB model, depending on the hardware. It’s also (most likely) not constantly running, so while yes, it will use more power than not having it, whether or not it is a significant change in the long run depends on many factors.
Debatable for a 4GB model, depending on the hardware. It’s also (most likely) not constantly running, so while yes, it will use more power than not having it, whether or not it is a significant change in the long run depends on many factors.