Enterprises are moving beyond “bigger is better” AI. Small Language Models (SLMs) are emerging as a practical path to value, delivering targeted performance with far lower compute, latency, and cost than general-purpose LLMs—making them ideal for high-volume, domain-specific tasks across the business. This shift reflects a maturation of enterprise AI from experiments to production-ready solutions that scale efficiently and responsibly.

These organizations need a clear decision framework for choosing SLMs versus LLMs. Key criteria include task scope, latency targets, data sensitivity and compliance needs, deployment model (on-prem, cloud, edge), and the breadth of reasoning required. Many common workload patterns—customer support assistants, document classification and summarization, retrieval-augmented generation, edge/IoT inference, and multi-step agent workflows—tend to favor smaller models, delivering lower TCO and faster responses without sacrificing task-level accuracy.

In our latest market brief, Leveraging Small Language Models for Enterprise AI: Benefits, Use Cases, and IBM’s Approach, Futurum Research, in partnership with IBM, details the core benefits of SLMs and examines IBM’s Granite family as a case study in enterprise-grade SLMs—covering transparency, deployment flexibility, guardrails, and uncapped IP indemnification available through watsonx.ai.

In this brief, you will learn:

• The core advantages of SLMs: cost efficiency, low-latency performance, and easier fine-tuning for domain tasks.
• A practical decision framework for when to choose SLMs vs. LLMs, including deployment and compliance considerations.
• High-impact use cases: customer support, document summarization/classification, RAG, edge/IoT, and agentic workflows.
• How IBM’s Granite models enable enterprise transparency, governance, and legal protection, including Granite Guardian and IP indemnification via watsonx.ai.
• Steps to operationalize SLMs at scale and measure business impact across units.

Download Leveraging Small Language Models for Enterprise AI: Benefits, Use Cases, and IBM’s Approach today to see how organizations can accelerate ROI while strengthening governance and trust.

Download Now

Business Email* First Name* Last Name* Company* Job Title*

Country*United StatesAfghanistanÂland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D\’IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic OfIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’S Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People\’S Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

By checking this box, you agree to our privacy policy and to sign up for emails from Futurum.