Chrome and Edge require 20GB of disk space

In May, we mentioned that Google Chrome It automatically downloaded an AI model of about 4GB to compatible computers. This model is used for Chrome's on-device AI features, allowing some AI features to run locally instead of sending everything to Google's servers.

However, the fact that Chrome was silently using several gigabytes of storage space reasonably raised some questions.

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As if that weren't enough, Google has now quietly updated the official Google Help documentation with additional information about on-device AI models. The company now states that Chrome requires approximately 20GB of free disk space to be able to download AI models.

If you're wondering why Chrome needs so much free space, Google doesn't exactly clarify, and it doesn't mention that the model takes up 20GB. Instead, the 20GB seems to be a requirement for the download to take place, with the actual model requiring less storage space.

Here are the Chrome requirements:

• Network connection: Unmetered network connection
• Minimum free disk space: 20GB (approximate)
• Sufficient device performance (Adequate device performance)

But it's not just Chrome that recently increased this limit to 20GB. Microsoft's Edge also currently lists 20GB as the minimum space requirement for downloading local AI models.

The other requirements are similar, although Microsoft is also adding a requirement for at least 5,5GB of GPU VRAM.

Microsoft he says:

• OS: Windows 10 or 11 and macOS 13.3 or later
• Storage: At least 20 GB available on the volume that contains your Edge profile – Storage space: At least 20 GB available on the volume that contains your Edge profile
• GPU: 5.5 GB of VRAM or more – GPU: 5,5 GB VRAM or more
• Network: Unlimited data plan or unmetered connection. The model is not downloaded if using a metered connection.

For users with plenty of storage, the requirement may not mean much. However, on devices with limited SSD capacity, Chrome may be reserving a significant portion of the available storage for AI models.

But let's also mention something positive.

You can now disable AI on your device from Chrome Settings > System. Meanwhile, Edge says that if available storage drops below 10GB, the model will start to be automatically deleted to ensure that other browser features have sufficient space to operate.

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Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.