The Nissan Leaf EV is helping change the car industry worldwide, and Nepal is joining in this shift to electric vehicles. As more people choose EVs, the Nissan Leaf stands out with its smart technology, eco-friendly design, and everyday practicality. One of the first popular electric cars, the Nissan Leaf is known for being reliable and innovative. With Nepal focusing more on sustainability and cutting down carbon emissions, the Leaf is a great choice for both city and long-distance driving. This article will cover the Nissan Leaf’s features, price, and availability in Nepal.

Why Choose Nissan Leaf?

When it comes to electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf has cemented itself as a pioneer in the industry. Manufactured by Nissan, a globally recognized leader in automotive innovation, the Leaf delivers a perfect blend of practicality, performance, and sustainability. As one of the first mass-market electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf has consistently evolved to meet the needs of modern drivers.

The Nissan Leaf is equipped with the latest intelligent driving technologies including e – Pedal. The all-electric Nissan Leaf is the perfect expression of smart & sustainable Nissan Intelligent Mobility, leaving you energized with the future of dynamic driving. Here are the key reasons why the Nissan Leaf deserves your attention:

Proven Reliability: With over a decade in the EV market, the Leaf has established itself as a trustworthy option for drivers.

Impressive Range: Equipped with an advanced battery, it delivers a range suitable for both city commutes and intercity travel.

Environmental Impact: With zero tailpipe emissions, the Leaf helps reduce your carbon footprint.

Cutting-Edge Technology: Packed with intelligent systems and driver assistance features for a seamless experience.

Cost Savings: Lower operating costs compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles make it an economical choice.

Nissan Leaf Pricing in Nepal

The price of the Nissan Leaf in Nepal is often a topic of interest among potential EV buyers. Known for its advanced features and dependable performance, the Leaf is competitively priced in the electric vehicle market. Here’s a breakdown of its pricing:

Nissan Leaf (Standard Model): Approx. NRs. 62.99 lakh

While the initial investment may appear higher than traditional vehicles, several factors contribute to this:

Import Duties: High tariffs and shipping costs significantly increase the final price in Nepal.

Tax Policies: Varying government policies on EV taxation impact the overall cost.

Advanced Features: The inclusion of state-of-the-art safety and tech features adds value.

Sustainability Incentives: Long-term savings on fuel and maintenance compensate for the upfront cost.

Nissan Leaf Features

Battery and Motor

Battery Type: 40 kWh Lithium-ion Battery

Motor Power: 110 kW AC Synchronous Motor

Torque: 320 Nm

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds

Range: Up to 270 km on a single charge (WLTP cycle)

Interior and Exterior

Interior: Premium fabric seats, a 7-inch advanced driver-assist display, and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Exterior: Aerodynamic styling with LED headlights, V-motion grille, and 16-inch or 17-inch alloy wheels.

Seating Capacity: 5 passengers

Color Options: Arctic White, Deep Blue Pearl, Super Black, Gun Metallic, and Scarlet Ember Tintcoat

The Nissan Leaf offers a comfortable cabin with ample legroom and intuitive controls, complemented by its sleek and modern exterior design.

Safety and Technology

Regenerative Braking: Enhances energy efficiency by converting braking energy into stored power.

Charging Time:

6.6 kW AC Charger: Fully charges in 7.5 hours

50 kW DC Fast Charger: Charges 20% to 80% in approximately 60 minutes

Safety Features: Includes six airbags, ABS, EBD, and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).

ProPILOT Assist: Offers semi-autonomous driving with lane centering and adaptive cruise control.

e-Pedal Technology: Allows single-pedal driving for acceleration and braking.

Specifications of Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf also features advanced connectivity options, including navigation, remote monitoring via a smartphone app, and over-the-air updates for a hassle-free experience.

The Nissan Leaf proves that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand, making it a perfect match for those seeking eco-friendly mobility in Nepal. Here are the Key Specifications of Nissan Leaf EV.

SpecificationsDetailsSeating Capacity5Battery RangeUp to 270 kmCharging Time0-80% in 60 minutes (DC)Charging Port TypeCHAdeMO and Type 2Regenerative BrakingYesGround Clearance155 mmAirbags6Top Speed150 km/hMotor TypeAC Synchronous MotorMaximum Torque320 NmBattery Pack40 kWh Lithium-ionDrive ModeEco, Normal, and B ModeDimension (L x W x H)4490 mm x 1788 mm x 1540 mmColor OptionsMultiple stylish choicesPrice of Nissan Leaf EVNPR 64,99,999

Performance and Range

The Nissan Leaf delivers impressive performance that suits everyday needs and long drives. It is available in two different battery options: the 40kWh and 62kWh, providing various driving ranges.

Range:

40kWh Model: Up to 240 km on a full charge.

62kWh Model: Up to 341 km on a full charge.

Acceleration:

The Leaf can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 7.9 seconds, offering a responsive and enjoyable driving experience.

The vehicle’s regenerative braking system helps to save energy by converting braking power into battery charge. This ensures more mileage and helps reduce wear on the brake system.

Charging Convenience

Fast Charging:

With the CHAdeMO DC fast charging port, the Nissan Leaf can charge from 0 to 80% in about 40-60 minutes, depending on the charger’s output. This makes it an excellent option for quick stops on long-distance trips.

Home Charging:

The Leaf can also be charged using a standard 240V outlet, where it takes about 7-8 hours to fully charge. This makes overnight charging a convenient option for daily use.

Real-Life Scenario

Imagine you’re planning a road trip from Kathmandu to Pokhara (approximately 200 km). With the Nissan Leaf’s impressive range of 240 km (40kWh) or 341 km (62kWh), you can easily complete the journey without worrying about battery life. A quick stop at a charging station along the way ensures you’ll continue your trip without any interruptions.

Availability and Locations

The Nissan Leaf is available in authorized showrooms across major cities in Nepal, including Kathmandu. Interested buyers can visit the showrooms to experience the vehicle up close, take a test drive, and gather more information. Key locations where the Nissan Leaf can be found include:

Nissan Nepal Showrooms: Located in major cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar and So on. You can also visit the Official website of Nissan Leaf, and book a ride.

Authorized Dealers: Pioneer Moto Corp is the Official Distributor in Nepal.

How to Book the Nissan Leaf

Visit a Nissan Showroom: Explore the Leaf and speak with a sales representative.

Test Drive: Book a test drive to experience the performance firsthand.

Place an Order: Finalize your purchase with the assistance of a Nissan representative.

Financing Options: Explore flexible financing options available for EV buyers.

After-Sales Services

Nissan offers a comprehensive ownership experience with the following services:

Regular Maintenance: Ensuring your Leaf remains in top condition.

Spare Parts Availability: Easy access to original spare parts.

Customer Support: Dedicated support for any issues or inquiries.

Warranty Packages: Peace of mind with warranty coverage for your Leaf.

What Makes Nissan Leaf Stand Out?

Nissan has been a pioneer in the electric vehicle industry with the introduction of the Nissan Leaf. The company’s focus on sustainability and technological innovation is reflected in the Leaf’s design and performance. Some key aspects that set Nissan apart:

Advanced Battery Technology: The Leaf’s lithium-ion batteries are durable and efficient, ensuring long-term performance and minimal maintenance.

Sustainability Efforts: Nissan continues to push forward with green initiatives like reducing carbon emissions and using sustainable materials in the Leaf’s construction.

Commitment to Sustainability

Nissan is dedicated to creating a more sustainable future. The Leaf is a testament to their commitment to reducing the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. With a vision for cleaner and greener transportation, Nissan strives to lead the EV revolution globally, contributing to a better, more sustainable planet.

By choosing the Nissan Leaf, you’re not just purchasing a car; you’re investing in a sustainable future while enjoying cutting-edge EV technology and performance.

Also, read

BYD Atto 3: Features, Specifications, and Price in Nepal

Realme 14x 5G Price and Specification

Benefits of Choosing the Nissan Leaf EV

The Nissan Leaf stands out as one of the most popular electric vehicles globally, thanks to its balance of performance, efficiency, and environmental consciousness. If you’re considering making the shift to electric, the Leaf is a fantastic choice. Here’s why:

Environmental Impact: By choosing the Nissan Leaf, you’re contributing to a cleaner environment. Electric vehicles (EVs) like the Leaf produce zero tailpipe emissions, helping reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. The transition to an EV reduces your carbon footprint and supports a more sustainable future.

Cost Savings: The Leaf’s lower maintenance costs and the absence of fuel expenses make it a cost-effective option in the long run. EVs have fewer moving parts, meaning less wear and tear, reducing the frequency and cost of repairs. Plus, electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline or diesel, further cutting operating costs.

Enhanced Driving Experience: The Nissan Leaf offers a smooth, quiet, and responsive ride. With instant torque and no engine noise, the driving experience is unlike that of a traditional car. Its lightweight design and efficient electric powertrain provide quick acceleration, making driving enjoyable while contributing to an eco-friendly future.

Government Incentives: Many countries, including Nepal, offer incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. Buyers of the Nissan Leaf may qualify for tax breaks, subsidies, and other benefits. These incentives can make the Leaf more affordable and add to its overall appeal as an environmentally friendly option.

Reliability and Reputation: Nissan has a long history of producing durable and reliable vehicles. The Leaf benefits from this legacy, with a well-built, long-lasting design that continues to impress owners around the world.

Long-term Value

While the upfront cost of an electric vehicle like the Nissan Leaf may be higher compared to traditional gasoline cars, the long-term savings are significant. Reduced fuel costs, minimal maintenance, and government incentives make the Leaf a wise investment over time. Additionally, the growing infrastructure for electric vehicles ensures that owning a Leaf will become increasingly convenient and accessible in the future.

Conclusion

The Nissan Leaf is more than just an electric car; it’s a commitment to a greener and more sustainable future. With its impressive range, affordable operating costs, and advanced features, the Leaf offers exceptional value. The government incentives and expanding EV infrastructure in Nepal make it an ideal time to switch to an electric vehicle.

The Nissan Leaf is a smart choice for individuals looking for a reliable, eco-friendly car with a premium driving experience. It’s perfect for those who want to embrace the future of mobility and contribute to a cleaner planet. Whether you’re commuting through the city or heading out on a weekend road trip, the Nissan Leaf is ready to take you on a smooth, eco-conscious ride.

FAQs About the Nissan Leaf EV

Here are the most frequently asked questions about the Nissan Leaf in Nepal:

When was the Nissan Leaf launched in Nepal?

The Nissan Leaf has been available in Nepal for several years and continues to be a popular choice for those looking to adopt electric vehicles.

Is the Nissan Leaf worth its price in Nepal?

Yes, considering its efficient electric powertrain, range, and advanced features, the Nissan Leaf offers great value for its price.

How can I book a test drive for the Nissan Leaf in Nepal?

You can book a test drive at authorized Nissan dealerships across Kathmandu and other major cities in Nepal, or contact the dealership directly to schedule an appointment.

Google researchers unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) architecture last week that can enable large language models (LLMs) to remember the long-term context of events and topics. A paper was published by the Mountain View-based tech giant on the topic, and the researchers claim that AI models trained using this architecture displayed a more “human-like” memory retention capability. Notably, Google ditched the traditional Transformer and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) architectures to develop a new method to teach AI models how to remember contextual information.Titans Can Scale AI Models’ Context Window More Than 2 Million TokensThe lead researcher of the project, Ali Behrouz, posted about the new architecture on X (formerly known as Twitter). He claimed that the new architecture provides a meta in-context memory with attention that teaches AI models how to remember the information at test-time compute.According to Google’s paper, which has been published in the pre-print online journal arXiv, the Titans architecture can scale the context window of AI models to larger than two million tokens. Memory has been a tricky problem to solve for AI developers.Humans remember information and events with context. If someone asked a person about what he wore last weekend, they would be able to remember additional contextual information, such as attending a birthday party of a person who they have known for the last 12 years.This way, when asked a follow-up question about why they wore a brown jacket and denim jeans last weekend, the person would be able to contextualise it with all these short-term and long-term information.AI models, on the other hand, typically use retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, modified for Transformer and RNN architectures. It uses information as neural nodes. So, when an AI model has been asked a question, it accesses the particular node that contains the main information, as well as the nearby nodes that might contain additional or related information. However, once a query is solved, the information is removed from the system to save processing power.However, there are two downsides to this. First, an AI model cannot remember information in the long run. If one wanted to ask a follow-up question after a session was over, one would have to provide the full context again (unlike how humans function). Second, AI models do a poor job of retrieving information involving long-term context.With Titans AI, Behrouz and other Google researchers sought to build an architecture which enables AI models to develop a long-term memory that can be continually run, while forgetting information so that it be computationally optimised.To this end, the researchers designed an architecture that encodes history into the parameters of a neural network. Three variants were used — Memory as Context (MAC), Memory as Gating (MAG), and Memory as a Layer (MAL). Each of these variants is suited for particular tasks.Additionally, Titans uses a new surprise-based learning systen, which tells AI models to remember unexpected or key information about a topic. These two changes allow Titans architecture to showcase improved memory function in LLMs.In the BABILong benchmark, Titans (MAC) shows outstanding performance, where it effectively scales to larger than 2M context window, outperforming large models like GPT-4, Llama3 + RAG, and Llama3-70B. pic.twitter.com/ZdngmtGIoW— Ali Behrouz (@behrouz_ali) January 13, 2025In a separate post, Behrouz claimed that based on internal testing on the BABILong benchmark (needle-in-a-haystack approach), Titans (MAC) models were able to outperform large AI models such as GPT-4, LLama 3 + RAG, and LLama 3 70B.

There are really two types of ereaders: Dedicated ebook/audiobook devices or slabs that are more akin to small tablets with E Ink screens. In the first category, the competition is really between Amazon’s Kindle devices and Rakuten’s Kobo readers. Ereaders in the latter group include entries from Onyx Boox, PocketBook and a couple of smaller companies. Of course, any smartphone or tablet can act as an ereader, but for our purposes, we focused on devices with paper-like, E Ink screens. After buying, borrowing and reading ebooks using a dozen ereaders, my top recommendation is Kobo’s latest, the Clara Colour. But there are situations where a Kindle might make more sense, and Boox options will satisfy those who want to do more than just read. Here are the best ereaders you can buy, with picks based on more than a year of testing.Table of contentsThe best ebook readers for 2025Photo by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetScreen size: 6” | Display type: Black/white and color E Ink | Resolution: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi color | Capacity: 16GB| Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof rating: IPX8 (submergible to 6 feet for 60 minutes) | Warm light: Yes | Lock screen ads: No Read our full Kobo Clara Colour review Our previous pick for this category, the Kobo Clara 2E was an excellent ereader with a crisp display, a warm glow and responsive, intuitive touch controls all housed in a waterproof design that felt premium. When Rakuten announced the Clara would be updated, I worried we’d see Kobo device with superfluous revamping to justify an inflated price. Thankfully, that’s not the case. The Kobo Clara Colour not only adds color and a faster processor, it’s just $10 more than the previous generation. As the name suggests, this ereader adds color to the page, lending a little vibrance to book covers, tables and graphs, and even the panels of graphic novels. The technology comes from E Ink, in the form of the Kaleido 3 module that incorporates a color filter layer on top of the standard black and white microcapsule layer. That results in two different resolutions on one screen: 150 dpi for color and 300 dpi for text. Full-color pages remind me of comic book art from the ‘60s, muted but saturated. Color makes book covers more enticing and adds a little variety to headings, and tables in some non-fiction books. It’s certainly not a necessary feature, but it adds vibrance and it’s fun.  There is a slight difference in clarity between the color and non-color version of the Clara. If you look closely, you can see a bit of noise on the white parts of the page. That’s due to the added color filter layer. It’s not distracting and only something I noticed when comparing the two generations side-by-side. but if absolute clarity is your primary goal, you may be better off with a non-color ereader. Probably the more useful upgrade here is the dual 2GHz processor, a bump from the Clara 2E’s 1GHz CPU. There’s a noticeable improvement in the speed of the page turns and navigating from the menu to the page and back again is nearly instantaneous. As with the 2E, the Colour rarely mistakes a swipe for a tap or a page turn gesture for a menu request. The adjustable warm front light is still here (it’s actually a little warmer on the Colour) and makes reading at night easy on the eyes. The operating system is the same, with intuitive access to the Kobo store, your personal books and titles from your local library via Overdrive. You can customize your reading experience with options for font, font size, line spacing, margins and so on. Kobos don’t have a way to save a group of display settings like the Kindle does, so I’d love to see that added with future OS upgrades. But for now, the customizations are just enough to get your book how you want it to look. The Colour is nearly identical in shape and size, and has the same premium feel as the 2E, though the plastic has a grainier finish. The bezels are noticeably less flush with the screen now, though that didn’t alter my reading enjoyment. Now that it costs $150, the Kobo Clara Colour is $40 more than the base model Kindle. But the waterproof build, warm front light, responsive controls and lack of ads (which cost $20 to get rid of on Amazon’s device) make it worth it. And, in great news for the right to repair crowd, it’s even designed to be user-repaired once it falls outside of warranty through a partnership with iFixit.  Rakuten still makes the Kobo Clara BW, which is nearly identical to our previous “best overall” pick. It doesn’t suffer from the slight clarity loss that the color overlay presents, but it also still has the older processor.    Of course, if you already own a mountain of Kindle books, you may want to stick with Amazon’s system. In that case, your best bet is Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite. It costs $160 and was recently updated with a more powerful processor and new E Ink tech that makes it exceptionally speedy with high-contrast text. The warm light is great and the flush front screen feels premium. Of course, Amazon now has its own color model too, the Colorsoft, but at $280, it’s significantly more expensive than the Clara Colour and even the Paperwhite Signature Edition. ProsCustomizable settingsEven more responsive touch controlsColor is pleasant and text is crispConsKobo’s store not as vast as Kindle’s.$150 at Rakuten Kobo Photo by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetScreen size: 6” | Display type: Black/white E Ink | Resolution: 300dpi | Capacity: 16GB | Battery life: 6 weeks | Waterproof rating: None | Warm light: No | Lock screen ads: Yes If you just want to read books, and have no need for the perks that the fancier ereaders bring (color, waterproof rating, warm light, etc), then the base model Kindle is for you. The six-inch, non-flush display is housed in a textured plastic that feels less premium than, say, the Paperwhite or even the two Kobos on our list, but still feels plenty durable. And it’s small enough to fit in a coat or back pocket making it very travel-friendly. It’s unfortunate that the 2024 model is $10 more than the 2022 model when not much has changed, but it’s still the cheapest ereader from any of the major manufacturers. And if we know one thing about Amazon, it’s that the company loves a good sale, so you’ll likely find it on discount if you can hold out for Prime Day or Black Friday deals. The Kindle is a no-frills gateway to the best of what Amazon has to offer, including Kindle Exclusive titles, with books by established authors as well as newer, self-published writers; Kindle Unlimited offers the widest selection of any subscription-based reading service out there; and Audible Originals is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you can only hear through a Kindle device or Amazon-owned app. If you like to switch between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the way to go. When you buy both iterations of a title, you not only get a discount, but the Whispersync feature lines up where you are in the e-printed version with the narration, too. Say you listen for an hour and then want to read – the synchronization lets you pick up on-screen where you left off audibly. (Though we should point out that you can’t listen and read simultaneously on the same device.) In tests, the feature was fairly accurate, getting me close enough on the page or in the audio to figure out my spot. Page turns are quicker on the new model but I’m disappointed that there’s still no way to adjust the zones and responses to touchscreen gestures, like there is on both Kobo and Boox devices. Kindles all have a very narrow strip on the left for going back a page and I’m constantly missing it and going forward instead. Though swipes generally work well. Probably the most noticeable missing feature is the lack of warm light. Compared to any ereader with that option, the screen on the standard Kindle appears harsh and bluish, but it’s still far easier on your eyes than a phone or tablet screen. There’s plenty of customization for the font, size and margins, too. You can even save your settings as a “theme,” something not offered by other devices. I created one with larger text and wider line spacing called “tired eyes.” Some people won’t be bothered by the lock screen ads that come standard on this Kindle (unless you pay $20 to remove them). They’re fairly innocuous, mostly promoting Kindle book deals or specific titles (it’s not like you’ll see promos for TVs or robotic pool cleaners). Personally, I like being able to set the sleep screen to the book cover of what I’m currently reading, but it’s easy to get over that if all you want is a more convenient way to consume books at the lowest price. ProsThe most affordable ereaderCompact and durable build is highly portableGrants access to Kindle’s vast ebook catalog plus library booksBest integration between audio and textConsNo warm lightNot waterproofCan’t read third party ebooks$110 at AmazonPhoto by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetScreen size: 7” | Display type: Black/white and color E Ink | Resolution: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi color | Capacity: 32GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof rating: IPX8 (submergible to 6 feet for 60 minutes) | Warm light: Yes | Lock screen ads: No When Kobo came out with the new Clara Colour, it also debuted the new Libra Colour, which might be the more exciting of the two devices. In addition to color technology from the E Ink Kaleido panel and an upgraded processor, the Libra now has stylus support. It’s the only ereader on this list with that feature, making it a lot like a small E Ink tablet — but all of its new features actually make it a better ereader. When I wrote about the previous generation ereader, the Libra 2, I was impressed by how comfortable it was for reading. None of that has changed; the buttons and auto-rotating screen adapt the device to just about any reading position you chose and the thin design, textured back and soft-touch plastic give it a premium feel. Kobo’s interface is nearly the same here as with other models, nicely organized to let you easily find your current reads or browse and search new titles from Kobo’s store or your local library in the Overdrive tab. The customizations for light and text let you get the page looking just how you like it, but there aren’t so many options that it feels like you’re writing code. The new features add to the experience. In color, book covers all look more enticing — though, if your TBR list is already three feet long, this won’t not help things. The new processor makes waking from sleep, turning pages, navigating the menu and changing orientation zippy fast. Then there’s the status compatibility. Try as they might, some new technologies don’t yet beat their real-world counterparts. That’s mostly how I feel about styluses — I’m just a big fan of pen on paper. But Kobo’s stylus makes it so fun to highlight text and scribble notes in the margins of a book that I’m starting to come around. Plus, it neatly and magnetically attaches to the side so it doesn’t get lost. Pressing and holding the button on the side of the stylus highlights text while flipping it around erases. I accidentally pressed the button a few times when I was trying to write, but I got used to the placement after a few minutes of using it. You can pick from four different highlighter colors and view your written notes and spotlighted text in the notes section of any title — which I could see being pretty useful for book club reads, school assignments or just refreshing yourself on a past read before you dive into the sequel. Writing in the margins or directly on the text worked on every book I tried. Though I should point out that if you change the font size in a book, your handwritten notes will be converted to a sticky note-type box. Going back to the original font restores your original scribbles. The Kobo Libra Colour is $30 more expensive than the Libra 2, but you get a lot for $220. If it were just an ereader, the lovely colors, responsive reading experience, fast page turns and easy highlights would make it worth the price. But you also get features that make it more than just an ereader, like Dropbox and Google Drive integration, a beta web browser and free-writing and text-converting notebooks. Of course, the stylus costs extra and you won’t get features like notebooks and writing in the margins without it. Together, the set costs $290, which is a considerable $110 cheaper than the recently updated (and most popular) stylus-enabled ereader, Amazon’s Kindle Scribe. That one has a bigger, 10.2-inch screen, which is nice for writing but, for me, is a little big for an ereader. The Libra Colour on the other hand has just the right features at the right size, plus some extras that stretch its usefulness. ProsPremium build that’s comfortable to holdCrisp text and lovely colorsResponsive and intuitive touch controls and buttonsAdding the stylus allows for margin notesConsKobo’s store is less vast than Kindle’s$220 at Rakuten KoboPhoto by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetScreen size: 6” | Display type: Black/white E Ink | Resolution: 300dpi | Capacity: 32GB | Battery life: 12 weeks | Waterproof rating: IPX8 | Warm light: Yes, auto adjustable | Lock screen ads: No Read our full Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition review When I reviewed the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, I was struck by the elevated reading experience it provided. It’s remarkably fast, the text is wonderfully crisp and it has a premium design that feels great to hold. Amazon was able to improve page turn and scrolling speeds for both the standard Paperwhite and the Signature Edition by giving them new processors and using an oxide thin-film transistor layer to enable faster changes on the page. The layer also allows for better display clarity than other transistor layers. Both the standard and Signature models have warm front lights that cast a lovely glow across a screen that’s a little larger now at 7-inches (up from 6.8 last time). The battery life is longer, promising up to 12 weeks (instead of 10), meaning you’ll rarely need to charge your ereader. Despite that, the Paperwhite models are actually three millimeters thinner than the previous generation (and just a touch heavier). With the Signature Edition, you also get auto-adjusting front lights that dim or brighten as daylight fades or you move from room to room. The storage capacity goes up from 16GB to 32GB, so even if you download a whole bunch of audiobooks, you aren’t likely to run out of space too quickly. And finally, you get a wireless charging option for the periodic occasions when it’s time for a refill. All of those features are nice to have, though not necessary — but for anyone who wants to read ebooks in the most luxe way possible, the Signature model is the one to go for. If you want an experience that’s nearly as deluxe, but don’t need the wireless charging, auto-adjusting lights and extra capacity, the Paperwhite is still noticeably more premium than the standard Kindle, while still getting you access to all the perks that only Kindles offer, like Goodreads integration, Kindle Exclusive titles, Kindle Unlimited subscription books and Whispersync tech that lines up your audio and ebook reads so you can swap between the two formats. ProsScreen displays crisp text with a lovely warm lightFlush-front screen and soft-touch back feel premiumNoticeably faster page turns and scrollingAuto-adjusting warm front light is helpfulConsPower button on the bottom edge is easy to accidentally triggerCan’t adjust touch screen controlsFewer page and font adjustments than the competitionThe features exclusive to the Signature aren’t essential$200 at AmazonPhoto by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetScreen size: 7” | Display type: Black/white and color E Ink | Resolution: 300 dpi black & white, 150 dpi color | Capacity: 64GB | Battery life: Weeks | Waterproof rating: splash-resistant | Warm light: Yes | Lock screen ads: No Color E Ink screens are the “new” thing in ereaders — even though the tech has been commercially available since around 2010. E Ink announced its Kaleido 3 display in 2022, and with the right combination of color saturation and clarity, it’s now appealing enough for general consumption. The latest ereaders from both Boox and Kobo are color models, and there’s little doubt Amazon will stick color in a Kindle in the near future (possibly as a replacement to the now-unavailable Kindle Oasis). The Boox Go Color 7 (Amazon, Boox) is a natural choice to supplant our previous winner in this category. The Boox Page is still available, and represents a great multipurpose tablet that easily handles ereader and tablet duties. The new Go Color not only layers color on top of that, it also has double the storage capacity, an extra gig of RAM and ships with Android 12. The back is also textured instead of slick, an upgrade my accident-prone fingers are grateful for. And all of this comes at the same $250 list price as the Page. Boox stuck a faster quad-core processor in the Page. That made for a noticeable uptick in speed when compared to the reader’s predecessor, the Leaf 2. This looks to be the same CPU in the Go Color and I haven’t noticed a huge speed difference with the new reader — though it’s plenty fast. The battery has the same 2,300mAh capacity, but ereader batteries last the order of a few weeks, so an upgrade in that department wasn’t really necessary. The Go Color 7 runs on a fork of Android 12, which allows it to act more like a tablet than a conventional ereader. Like all Boox devices, this approach is best suited for the tech-savvy. Unlike a Kindle or Kobo, which come preconfigured with a store and easy library-book access, Boox ereaders offer little hand-holding in setup and usage. While there is a store, it’s made up of public domain titles — most people will read books by uploading ePubs manually or through ereader apps like Kobo, Kindle, Libby and others from the built-in Google Play store. Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, is nicely featured with a good amount of control over the look of the text. But it only handles DRM-free ePubs from sites like Project Gutenberg or publishers like Tor. If you want to read ePubs with digital rights management, which make up the vast majority of current ebooks, you’ll need to use a different app. Ironically, I’ve been using PocketBook’s ereader app to read DRM ePubs I bought from third parties. The tablet is impressively customizable, with programmable buttons and fine-tunable settings. Boox users have created APK files to tweak and improve the experience further. The device even has a microphone and speakers, and can run apps like Spotify. In short, the Go Color 7 can do far more than a typical ereader can, if you’re willing to experiment. The reading experience is enhanced with a soft, adjustable front light with temperature control that makes for pleasant low-light reading and the flush, glare-free, screen is lush and detailed. Like all color ereaders, you do give up a modicum of clarity to accommodate the color array, and the warmth is noticeably more yellow. I only noticed the contrast when I set comparable ereaders side-by-side and, really, it’s the difference between a super duper crisp screen and only a super crisp screen. The soft and muted colors have a saturated look like watercolors or old comic book illustrations. Comparing the same book cover on the Kobo Clara Colour and this, the Boox hues do look a touch grainier and less rich. But that’s a small sacrifice if you need an ereader that can do far more than just carry your books around. ProsCapable, customizable tabletSupports multiple ereader appsSolid build with a muted color screenConsNot easy for beginnersNative ereader app doesn’t support DRM filesBuilt-in store is only public domain titles$250 at Onyx BooxPhoto by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetScreen size: 6.13” Resolution: 300 dpi | Capacity: 128GB | Water resistant: Yes, splashes and spills | Warm light: Yes | Lock screen ads: No Boox makes two sizes of its ereader. The Poke 5 is smaller than the Page, doesn’t have buttons and goes for about $80 less. But after trying it, I don’t recommend it. It’s laggy and getting the Google Play Store to work was a pain. Once I did, page turns in apps like Kindle were excruciatingly slow. The Boox Palma, however, is quite fun. It’s the same size and shape as a smartphone and, in a lot of ways, acts like one. The home screen is a muted black and white version of what you might find on a standard Android — you can even add a few widgets. Like the Page, it can download and run apps from the Google Play Store and has speakers to play music and videos. The E Ink screen (a Carta 1200) renders text crisply, but images, particularly moving ones, look far grainier and rougher than they would on a real phone’s LED screen. That said, the video quality is the best I’ve seen on an E Ink screen, thanks to a software improvement Boox calls Super Refresh Technology. But make no mistake, it’s not going to replace your phone. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the only connectivity and the 16MP camera is just for making document scans you can convert to PDFs. But the phone-like build is comfortingly familiar and the E Ink screen is lovely to read. At $280, it’s more expensive than a standard ereader — and some E Ink tablets — but it’s a highly portable way to read Kindle, Kobo, Google Books and other ePubs, while also handling simple games and apps like a smartphone. If you’re sick of the glow of your handset, the Boox Palma is a charming alternative. $246 at AmazonWhat to look for in an ereaderPlenty of apps, including the Kindle app, will let you download and read digital books on a phone or tablet. But what makes ebook readers different is the screen: nearly all of them use technology from a company called E Ink. It manufactures electronic paper displays (EPD) composed of three sheets: one containing millions of microcapsules filled with black and white ink particles sandwiched between transparent electrode layers. When a charge is applied, either the black or white particles shift to the top, forming letters and the whitespace around them.Color ereaders add a color filter array on top of the standard black and white microcapsule layer. The result is two different resolutions on one screen — the color clarity is 150 dpi while black and white images and text are still 300 dpi.Because these displays are so different from standard backlight LED panels, you can expect most ereaders to do a number of things well. They’ll be easier to stare at for long periods of time and easier to read in direct sunlight. Also, since E Ink displays only require power to rearrange the ink, these devices have much longer battery lives than even the best tablets: we’re talking weeks, not days.The ereader market is not as saturated as, say, the smartphone market, but there are still plenty of options out there and they do have small but important differences among them. They tend to range from around $100 to more than $400, though usually the higher end options are stylus-enabled read/write E Ink tablets like the Kindle Scribe. Beyond price, you should consider physical properties like buttons, lights, storage and resolution, as well as how the software lets you find and access books.Reading featuresWith any ereader, you’ll navigate the OS via taps and swipes, and some add physical page-turn buttons. Most with built-in buttons have an auto-rotating screen so you can press with your right or left hand.As E Ink technology has advanced, resolution has greatly improved – even the budget Kindle ereader has a 300 ppi display. You can still find models with lower resolution, but we don’t recommend them.Some ereaders have front LEDs that support light temperature adjustment. That means you can switch to a warmer light after the sun goes down, which will feel easier on the eyes. If you’re concerned about blue light, you should go for a reader with that feature.Other featuresThe capabilities of these pocket libraries have advanced considerably since the early days. In addition to storing books, some let you browse the web, run apps and play music. The screen’s frame rate can’t handle gaming, but it’s good enough to show you the Wikipedia entry for Striver’s Row while you read Crook Manifesto.If you listen to audiobooks, you may want a Bluetooth-enabled ereader capable of playing them. Most of the models we tested have that ability, with the notable exception of the Nook ereader we tried. Keep in mind that audiobook files can take up more space than print files so you’ll probably want a device with a higher storage capacity if you plan on doing a lot of listening.Above all, you should consider where and how you intend to find books to read. Most ereaders make it easiest to shop through their own digital bookstores, but all of them (even Kindles) will now let you download titles from other sources, like libraries, unaffiliated ebook sellers and free public domain sites. Photo by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetHow to get books for your ereaderKindle, Nook and Kobo all have their own stores that you access directly from each brand’s devices. Prices are fairly competitive among the sellers, too – as I write this, the current NYT bestselling fiction ebook is $12 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBooks.com and the Kobo store. The top nonfiction release costs $15 at all four.Amazon offers Kindle Unlimited for $12 per month, and it includes four million titles from which you can pick your next read. It includes audio and ebooks, but you won’t find many big, new releases or older bestsellers. Kobo has a subscription called Kobo Plus with about 1.3 million titles: it goes for $8 per month for ebooks only, $8 for audiobooks only or $10 for both.Buying a book from a proprietary store instantly delivers it to your device, provided you’re connected to WiFi. It also syncs your reading across devices and apps, so you can pick up where you left off on your phone if you forgot your ereader at home. It truly is the most convenient way to go, but if you don’t want to be locked into one brand’s store, or if you opt for an ereader without its own marketplace, you do have options.How to upload ePubs onto an ereaderStores like ebooks.com and Google Play have millions of ebooks for sale as digital rights-managed (DRM) ePub files, which Kobo, Nook and PocketBook readers can read in their native ereader apps. Kindles don’t support DRM ePub files at all and Boox devices require third party apps (of which there are many) to ready those files.Titles from some publishers like Tor and public domain classics from sites like Project Gutenberg are also sold as ePubs, but without the added DRM. Consequently, Kindles and the Boox Neoreader do support those files. Books you get from third-party sources will look just like ones you bought from a proprietary store, thanks to the flowable, formatted nature of ePub files. While these device-agnostic ebook collections give you extra options for finding your next read, they require a few additional steps to get the files onto your ereader.To do so, you’ll typically need a computer running a free program called Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). After buying and downloading the ePub file, open ADE and plug your ereader into your computer (all readers here have a USB-C port for charging and data transfers). Your device should pop up in the left panel. Drag and drop the ePub file from your downloads folder into the main panel in ADE. The file will display as an image of the book cover. Drag that image onto your device on the left panel. If the file includes digital rights management (which protects against unauthorized copying) you’ll need to authorize your ereader, which requires using or creating a free Adobe ID. Once you’ve finished adding files to upload, eject the reader from your computer to complete the transfer process.Kindles use a web-based uploader instead of the ADE method. But since Kindle uses its own proprietary DRM technology instead of Adobe’s, the only files it can accept from third parties are non-DRM files, such as from Tor Publishing or Project Gutenberg. After downloading a compatible ePub file, drag and drop it into your browser with the Send to Kindle page open. As long as you’re signed into Amazon, this wirelessly transfers the files to your associated device.Boox also uses a browser uploader called BooxDrop (along with many other methods) to deliver ePubs to the device. Open it from the Boox App menu and you’ll see a device-specific url. Type that into your browser to access a file delivery portal that uploads to your library. Boox’s built-in ereader app, NeoReader, also doesn’t support files with DRM, so you won’t be able to read current titles from most publishers using that app. Fortunately, Boox devices run nearly every ereader app out there, Kobo and Kindle included, letting you access ePubs any number of ways.How to read library books on an ereaderYour local library card lets you borrow audio and ebooks through a program called Overdrive and its companion app Libby. On a Kobo, you have have built-in access to Overdrive in a separate tab. Once you’ve linked your public library card, the search function will include results for titles available from your local library; a few taps will upload your selections to your device for the length of the loan. I personally find it easiest to borrow the title I want through the Libby app on my phone. After that, the book pops up on my Kobo’s home screen once the device syncs.To read library books on a Kindle, you can either go through the Libby app or the Overdrive section of your library’s website. Once you click Borrow, you’ll see the option to “Read now with Kindle,” which takes you to Amazon’s site to sign in. After that, the book will be delivered to your device the next time it connects to WiFi.For other ereaders, you’ll go through your library’s Overdrive portal and download the ePub after clicking the Borrow button. You can then use the ADE process we described above. Devices that run external apps, like Boox’s Page, Go Color 7 or Palma, allow you to read library books via the Libby app, just as you would on a smartphone or iPad.You can also use the Libby app to borrow audiobooks, but you won’t be able to access them through your ereader. (The exception is an ereader, like a Boox device, that allows external apps). I found it was easier to listen to an audiobook on my phone anyway, regardless of whether I borrowed it through Libby or bought it from Kindle or Kobo. Photo by Amy Skorheim / EngadgetHow we test ereadersWhen putting together any guide, the first thing we do is spend hours researching the field. We look at what’s available, what’s new, and what shoppers and professional reviewers have to say. Then we narrow a list to the best candidates for hands-on testing.Over the course of the past year and a half, I’ve tested just over a dozen ereaders, representing five different brands: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Boox and PocketBook. I bought, borrowed and uploaded books for each device using the methods above. I used each one for between a few days to a few months. I evaluated each one in the areas of book access, ease of reading, extra features and overall value. Here’s everything we tested so far:Other ereaders we testedKindle ColorsoftAmazon’s first color Kindle impressed with its quick page-turns and load times, auto-adjusting front light and, of course, a decently striking color E Ink display. But at $280, it’s more expensive than all of the other color ereaders in its size range, including the Kobo Libra Colour and the Boox Go Color 7.Also, some Colorsoft owners reported seeing a yellow band at the bottom of their ereader’s display. This issue did not affect our first review unit during the original testing period, but it eventually appeared. An Amazon spokesperson told Engadget: “A small number of customers have reported a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously—customers who notice this can reach out to our customer service team for a replacement or refund, and we’re making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward.”Amazon sent us a new Colorsoft ereader at the end of 2024 and it does appear that the fixes the company made resolved the yellow-band issue. The screen on our second review unit appears warmer overall, but not overly so. It’s more akin to the screen on the Kobo Libra Colour, and that’s a good thing.Ereader FAQsWhich ereaders can read Kindle books?Amazon’s Kindle ereaders are the obvious answer, but other devices capable of running apps can also read titles from the Kindle store. For example, you can download the Kindle app on a Boox ereader through Google Play (the store comes standard in the Boox app menu). You can then sign into your Kindle account and access all the books in your library — the same way you’d read Kindle books on your phone or tablet.Can you buy Kindle books without a Kindle?Yes. You can buy Kindle books through the Kindle app or through Amazon’s website via a browser. You can read those titles on a Kindle or any device that can run the Kindle app, such as a smartphone, tablet or computer. Just be aware that Kindle titles can only be read through one of Amazon’s ereaders or the Kindle app. The company uses proprietary digital rights management on all ebooks it sells that can’t be read by other ereader apps like Kobo or Adobe ADE.What’s the difference between Kindle and Kobo?Both Kindle and Kobo are brands of dedicated ereaders that support searching, buying, downloading and reading ebooks from their own stores. Both also support borrowing books from your local library via Overdrive and Libby.The difference is that Kindle is owned by Amazon and uses the Kindle store, whereas Kobo is owned by Rakuten and its books come from the Kobo store. Both stores come pre-loaded as a tab on their respective ereader and both carry most in-print books. Each store also carries their own exclusive ebooks as well, but Amazon’s library of Kindle-only books is much larger than Kobo’s. Amazon also offers Amazon Original stories to read on the Kindle, which are free short fiction and nonfiction reads that are free to Prime members.Which ereader is best for library books?Both Kobos and Kindles have simple systems for borrowing library books. Other ereaders, like Boox, let you borrow books after downloading the Libby App. Only Kobo ereaders let you search for and borrow books directly on the ereader, with a dedicated Overdrive tab. Kindles, on the other hand, utilize a convenient “read on Kindle” function from the Libby app or website. You can send a borrowed book to your Kindle just by signing into your account. Both methods are pretty easy, so which is the best for you probably depends on other factors than just the library-book feature.Recent updatesJanuary 2025: Updated the “Others we tested” section to include impressions of the second Kindle Colorsoft review unit we received.August 2024: Replaced our Android tablet pick with the new Go Color 7 ereader from Boox. Updated book titles to current examples. Added an FAQ section to explain the difference between Kobo and Kindle ereaders and further detail library-book support on different models.November 2024: Following the release of Amazon’s new Kindle ereaders, we tested and reviewed the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, the base-model Kindle and Amazon’s new color ereader, the Kindle Colorsoft. Accordingly, we updated our budget pick, added a premium pick and noted our experience with the Colorsoft.

Large language models (LLMs) have undergone rapid evolution in recent years, but can often be viewed as something of a ‘black-box’ as a lack of transparency makes it difficult to identify how decisions are made, trace errors, or understand biases within the model.

We spoke to Pramod Beligere, vice president — generative AI practice head at Hexaware, to discuss this along with the tools that are being developed, such as explainable AI and interpretable models, to make AI systems more understandable, trustworthy and accountable.

BN: How are LLMs evolving?

PB: Three primary branches are emerging on their evolutionary tree: Encoder-only, Encoder-Decoder, and Decoder-only groups of models.

Initially, encoder-only models like BERT (released under an open source license in 2018) introduced bidirectional training, improving comprehension tasks. The decoder-only model GPT-2 (2019) demonstrated impressive text generation capabilities. The release of GPT-3 (another decoder-only model released in 2020) was a big leap, with 175 billion parameters, enabling better understanding of context and text generation. OpenAI’s Codex (2021) focused on showcasing code generation capabilities. More recently, models like GPT-4o have exhibited even more advanced abilities, including multimodal understanding.

BN: How has the scalability of deep learning impacted the capabilities of LLMs?

PB: Deep learning has been a key approach underlying the development of LLMs. By leveraging neural networks, especially transformer architectures, this enables LLMs to process and generate human-like text. Techniques such as attention mechanisms allow models to focus on relevant sections of the input data, enabling better understanding of the context. The scalability of deep learning has enabled training on vast datasets, enhancing language comprehension and text generation. Innovations like transfer learning and fine-tuning have further refined the capabilities of LLMs, enabling them to perform a wide variety of tasks from translation to summarisation with high accuracy.

BN: What are the key challenges for LLMs when it comes to transparency and interpretability?

PB: The primary challenges facing LLMs include:

Lack of details on the data size as well as the content and origin of the data being used for training (which could have copyright-related legal ramifications, among other issues).

Their complex architecture and vast parameter count make it difficult to understand how they arrive at specific outputs.

The ‘black-box’ nature of LLMs obscures the decision-making process, raising concerns about biases embedded in the training data.

There are ongoing efforts to enhance transparency and interpretability but they are yet to fully address these challenges.

BN: Why is transparency a concern with the current multi-layered architecture of LLMs?

PB: The black-box nature of large-scale LLMs (based on the transformer deep learning architecture) results in their internal workings not being interpretable. The models consist of millions/ billions of parameters, making it difficult to understand how specific inputs lead to specific outputs. Each layer in their complex multi-layered architecture transforms the data in ways that are not straightforward to trace or explain. It is also challenging to understand what these models have learnt and how they are making decisions, since the features learned by these models are abstract, with their decision pathway not being traceable. The complexity and opacity is a clear concern especially when regulations demand transparency.

BN: How has the lack of transparency in LLMs led to significant issues related to privacy, consent and bias?

PB: OpenAI’s model has been criticised for generating biased/ discriminatory content and enabling the creation of misinformation. They have also been sued by multiple newspaper companies for using their content without permission or payment. More recently, the actress Scarlett Johansson has complained that a synthetic voice for ChatGPT called ‘Sky’ is too similar to her own, and was created without her permission.

Similarly, Google’s Gemini faced controversy for producing biased and offensive image outputs based on race and gender. This raised ethical concerns and highlighted the opaque nature of its decision-making process, complicating efforts to identify and mitigate biases. These examples underscore the need for greater transparency and accountability in LLMs.

BN: Can you explain what impacts the interpretability of LLMs?

PB: The complexities of deep learning architecture has a significant impact. These models often involve millions/ billions of parameters, organised in intricate layers of neural networks. Such complexity makes it challenging to trace how specific inputs lead to particular outputs. As a result, understanding the decision-making process becomes difficult, hindering efforts to identify and mitigate biases or errors. This can reduce trust in the model’s outputs and complicate debugging, auditing, and improving the system. Consequently, it raises ethical and practical concerns about the deployment and use of LLMs in critical applications.

BN: What are the primary ethical concerns associated with the training data used for LLMs?

PB: These primarily involve the data used for training. Key concerns include:

Bias and fairness: Training data often contains biases reflecting societal prejudices, which can be perpetuated and amplified by LLMs, leading to unfair or discriminatory outputs.

Privacy: Training on large datasets may inadvertently include sensitive or personal information, raising privacy concerns.

Consent: Data used for training is often scraped from the internet without explicit consent from the content creators, raising ethical issues about data ownership and usage rights.

Transparency: Lack of transparency about the data sources can hinder accountability and trust in the model’s outputs.

These considerations necessitate careful data curation and ethical guidelines to ensure responsible AI development.

BN: What approaches are being used to improve the transparency of deep learning models?

PB: Several methodologies and tools are being developed:

Explainable AI: Techniques like LIME (Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations) and SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) help interpret model predictions by highlighting important features.

Model Auditing: Tools such as IBM’s AI Fairness 360 and Google’s What-If Tool enable auditing for bias and fairness.

Visualisation: Techniques like attention maps and saliency maps provide visual insights into model decision-making processes.

Interpretable Models: Developing inherently interpretable models, such as decision trees or rule-based systems, alongside deep learning models.

Transparency reports: Detailed documentation of model architecture, training data, and evaluation metrics to improve accountability.

These efforts aim to make AI systems more understandable, trustworthy, and accountable.

BN: What’s the role of regulatory frameworks in addressing transparency issues of LLMs, and how may this evolve in the future?

PB: Current regulatory frameworks are still evolving. Regulations like GDPR emphasise data protection and the right to explanation, requiring organizations to provide understandable information about automated decision-making processes. The EU AI Act aims to set stricter transparency and accountability standards for high-risk AI systems. In the future, we might see more comprehensive regulations mandating detailed documentation, bias audits, and explainability requirements for AI models. These changes could drive the development of more transparent, fair, and accountable AI systems, fostering greater trust and ethical use of AI technologies.

BN: How can businesses balance the risks and benefits of using more transparent LLMs?

PB: Benefits of using more transparent LLMs:

Trust and accountability: Enhanced transparency builds user trust and facilitates accountability.

Bias detection: Easier identification and mitigation of biases, leading to fairer outcomes.

Regulatory compliance: Simplifies adherence to legal and ethical standards.

Improved debugging: Facilitates troubleshooting and model improvement.

Risks:

Complexity: Transparency tools can add complexity and computational overhead.

Intellectual property: Revealing model internals may expose proprietary information.

Security: Increased transparency might reveal vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

Businesses can balance these by adopting a layered transparency approach — providing sufficient detail to stakeholders without compromising proprietary information or security. Implementing robust governance frameworks and regularly auditing models can also help manage risks while reaping the benefits.

BN: How might LLMs develop in the future?

PB: Future developments will likely focus on enhancing interpretability and reducing biases to foster greater trust and ethical use (as well as ensuring regulatory compliance). We can expect advancements in model efficiency, enabling more powerful LLMs to run on less computationally intensive hardware, including on edge devices. Multimodal LLMs that can process diverse inputs with minimal latency will become pervasive. Specialised LLMs tailored for industry domains will see increased adoption.

We are also seeing the rising number of small and powerful open source models, giving better choices for organizations. Smaller models would also make sense when implementing agentic workflows, as each model would focus on specific tasks that would not require cost intensive large general purpose LLMs.

Image Credit: Sascha Winter/Dreamstime.com