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AI DevSummit 2025 + DeveloperWeek Leadership 2025
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OPEN Session: The Rise of Small Language Models: Unlocking Efficient & Secure AI
Wednesday May 28, 2025 9:30am - 9:55am PDT
AI DevSummit Expo Stage
Shrinath Thube, IBM, Software Developer
Vaibhav Tupe, Equinix, Technology Lead

As AI adoption grows, the need for efficient, cost-effective, and privacy-conscious solutions has never been greater. Small Language Models (SLMs) are emerging as a powerful alternative to resource-intensive Large Language Models (LLMs), addressing challenges like high computational costs, latency, and environmental impact while also enhancing security and compliance.

This session will explore the evolution of small language models, covering their training, fine-tuning, and deployment for key NLP tasks such as text generation, summarization, and question-answering. We will also examine the security implications of using SLMs, including on-device processing for data privacy, reducing attack surfaces, mitigating prompt injection risks, and ensuring robust model governance. Techniques like model distillation, quantization, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) will be discussed in the context of optimizing both performance and security.

Attendees will gain insights into leading open-source models like Mistral, Gemma, Phi, and IBM Granite, learning how to harness them for real-world applications while implementing best practices for AI security and compliance. We will also discuss strategies for integrating SLMs into enterprise environments, edge computing, and secure on-premise AI deployments to achieve scalable, efficient, and trustworthy AI solutions.
Speakers
avatar for Shrinath Thube

Shrinath Thube

Software Developer, IBM
IEEE Senior Member | Software Developer, IBM | Technology Advisory Board MemberShrinath Thube is a Software Developer at IBM with 8+ years of experience in security, cloud, microservices, observability. An IEEE Senior Member, he is part of the IEEE CISOSE 2025 Organizing Committee... Read More →
avatar for Vaibhav Tupe

Vaibhav Tupe

Technology Lead, Equinix
Vaibhav Tupe is a distinguished Technology Advisory Board Member and Engineering Leader specializing in cybersecurity, cloud, and AI-ready data center infrastructure. With over 13 years of experience, he currently serves as a Technology Leader at Equinix USA, where he drives high-performance... Read More →
Wednesday May 28, 2025 9:30am - 9:55am PDT
AI DevSummit Expo Stage
  AI DevSummit
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