How much RAM does granite-switch-4.1-8b need?

granite-switch-4.1-8b needs about 20 GB of memory at Q4_K_M quantization with 4K context. The download itself is 18 GB; the extra covers the context cache and runtime overhead.

Can I run granite-switch-4.1-8b on a laptop?

Yes — it runs comfortably on a machine with 32GB RAM, for example MacBook Pro M4 Pro.

granite-switch-4.1-8b: hardware requirements

granite-switch-4.1-8b needs about 20 GB of memory at Q4 quantization — a 18 GB download plus room for context and overhead. That fits a machine with 32GB RAM.

Parameters

8.8B

Tier

Needs a good desktop

Licence

See model card

Released

2026-10-15

Will it run on your machine?

8GB RAMNot enough memory 16GB RAMNot enough memory 24GB RAMTight fit 32GB RAMRuns well 64GB RAMRuns well 128GB RAMRuns well 8GB VRAMNot enough memory 12GB VRAMNot enough memory 16GB VRAMNot enough memory 24GB VRAMRuns well 32GB VRAMRuns well

Download sizes by quantization

Lower quantization means a smaller file and less memory, at some cost to quality. Q4_K_M is the usual starting point. What is this?

Quant	Download	RAM @ 4K	RAM @ 32K	Source
Published	18 GB	20 GB	25 GB	measured

“Measured” sizes are read from published GGUF files (ibm-granite/granite-switch-4.1-8b). “Estimated” sizes are derived from the parameter count and are typically within a few percent. The RAM columns add the context cache and runtime overhead to the download size.

Other sizes of Granite Switch 4.1 8B

granite-switch-4.1-30b30B · 64 GB

Model card on HuggingFace →API specs & pricing →Verified 2026-10-16Listed for 120 days after release