LoRA, PEFT, and RAG: Enabling High-Efficiency Edge AI
Recent developments reveal a clear pivot in AI: inference is rapidly leaving data centers for edge devices, while parameter-efficient fine-tuning and on-device deployment take center stage. As AMD CTO Mark Papermaster notes, “most inference tasks will move to edge devices” over the next few years. At the same time, the “State of Foundation Model Training Report 2025” highlights PEFT methods like LoRA as essential strategies for fine-tuning large models with reduced compute and memory requirements. Innovations such as LoRA‑Gen further boost edge performance with cloud‑generated LoRA adapters and on‑device integration. In parallel, edge AI solutions are accelerating: NXP’s Kinara accelerator and RAG agents enable powerful inference and retrieval on-device, while Aetina’s showcase at COMPUTEX emphasizes modular edge-AI servers designed for real-world deployments. Together, these trends—① edge migration of inference, ② mainstream adoption of PEFT/LoRA fine-tuning, and ③ rapid deployment & validation of RAG agent workflows—form a compelling backdrop for what comes next: our groundbreaking new capabilities.
Edge AI SDK with GenAI Studio & Inference Kit
Streamlining Edge AI Development
The Advantech Edge AI SDK is designed to make edge AI development easier and more efficient. It combines optimized software with ready-to-use hardware, providing a seamless plug-and-play experience. This toolkit simplifies LLM customization, ensures smooth integration with various tools, and helps manage large-scale edge deployments with ease—making AI adoption more accessible and cost-effective.
【 Feature Highlights 】
[GenAI Studio] v1.1**:**
Comparison of AI/LLM Dev Tools
Expanded Fine-Tuning Support : Integrated PEFT (Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning) with LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation), enabling specific LLM fine-tuning tasks with significantly reduced GPU requirements. This feature does not require or support Phison AI SSDs.
RAGOps Auto-Sync : Simplifies the maintenance and update process of RAG knowledge bases, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of RAG solution deployment and operation.
UI & Workflow Enhancements : Improved user interface and workflow across key features, including dataset generation, model management, model conversion, and system administration.
[Inference Kit] v3.3.0:
New Self-Hosted AI Chatbot with Integrated RAG Support: Preloaded with the Gemma 3 4B INT4 VLM model, the chatbot accepts both text and image inputs to generate intelligent responses. This boosts the efficiency of GenAI evaluation and validation at the edge.
Seamless Integration with GenAI Studio: In addition to using the built-in model, the chatbot can connect directly to GenAI Studio to download fine-tuned LLMs or select other open-source pretrained models—offering users a flexible and customizable AI development experience.
Expanded Support for Hailo AI Modules: Now supporting both EAI-1200 and EAI-3300 platforms, the solution includes quick-start development guides to help Advantech customers accelerate their adoption and development of Hailo-based AI applications.
IMPORTANT Change Notice : Starting from the 2025 Q2/E release (GenAI Studio v1.1 and Inference Kit v3.3), the software installation package will no longer be provided as a standalone installer. Instead, it will be preloaded in the 207 OS image. To access the Edge AI SDK, customers must purchase Advantech hardware with the preloaded 207 OS image.
【 Boosting Your Expertise 】
What is LoRA for LLM Fine-tuning?
LoRA stands for Low-Rank Adaptation. Instead of retraining the entire large language model — which takes a lot of time and computing power — LoRA lets us fine-tune just a small part of the model. It’s like upgrading a car by just changing the tires instead of rebuilding the whole engine. LoRA is faster, cheaper, and much easier to use. With the aid of LoRA, you also don’t need a big GPU server, and you can fine-tune a model in a cost-efficient way.
Looking for the latest updates on Advantech’s cutting-edge Edge AI solutions?
Follow this link to explore more up-to-date research outcomes and demo showcases from the ESS R&D team!
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【 Learn More about Edge AI SDK 】
Contacts
Feel free to reach out to us if any questions. Thank you!
Gary70.Lin <[Gary70.Lin@advantech.com.tw]>
Rison.Yeh < [rison.yeh@advantech.com.tw]>