The Rise of Cost-Optimized & Niche AI Models: A Deep Dive into Small-Footprint LLMs and Their Real-World Power
Artificial intelligence has moved far beyond giant cloud-heavy systems that require massive budgets and enterprise-level hardware. Over the last few years, a new class of AI has quietly taken the spotlight: cost-optimized, lightweight, and niche-focused language models. While large models like GPT-5, Gemini Ultra, and Claude 4.5 gather the headlines, it is these smaller and…