memory-optimization

Recent open-weight LLM releases from Google, DeepSeek, and others are adopting architectural techniques that reduce KV cache size by approximately 50% at long contexts. These include cross-layer KV sharing in Gemma 4, which saves 2.7 GB at 128K context for the E2B model, and compressed convolutional attention in ZAYA1-8B.

Google has unveiled TurboQuant, a KV cache quantization technology that claims to reduce memory consumption during AI inference by up to 6x by compressing data from 16-bit precision to as low as 2.5 bits. While the compression technique delivers meaningful efficiency gains for inference providers, it is unlikely to resolve the DRAM shortage that has driven memory prices to record highs, as expanding context windows offset memory savings.