Whisper-Small-Quantized: Optimized for Mobile Deployment
Transformer-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) model for multilingual transcription and translation available on HuggingFace
We have applied w8a16 quantization to significantly enhance performance and efficiency. HuggingFace Whisper-Small ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) model is a state-of-the-art system designed for transcribing spoken language into written text. This model is based on the transformer architecture and has been optimized for edge inference by replacing Multi-Head Attention (MHA) with Single-Head Attention (SHA) and linear layers with convolutional (conv) layers. It exhibits robust performance in realistic, noisy environments, making it highly reliable for real-world applications. Specifically, it excels in long-form transcription, capable of accurately transcribing audio clips up to 30 seconds long. Time to the first token is the encoder's latency, while time to each additional token is decoder's latency, where we assume a max decoded length specified below.
This model is an implementation of Whisper-Small-Quantized found here.
This repository provides scripts to run Whisper-Small-Quantized on Qualcomm® devices. More details on model performance across various devices, can be found here.
Model Details
- Model Type: Model_use_case.speech_recognition
- Model Stats:
- Model checkpoint: openai/whisper-small
- Input resolution: 80x3000 (30 seconds audio)
- Max decoded sequence length: 200 tokens
| Model | Precision | Device | Chipset | Target Runtime | Inference Time (ms) | Peak Memory Range (MB) | Primary Compute Unit | Target Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8275 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8275 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 128.052 ms | 1 - 10 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8450 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8450 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 112.608 ms | 1 - 21 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8550 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8550 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 62.325 ms | 1 - 3 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8550 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8550 (Proxy) | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 62.524 ms | 0 - 115 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS9075 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS9075 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 58.95 ms | 1 - 10 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | RB3 Gen 2 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS6490 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 613.165 ms | 1 - 13 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | RB3 Gen 2 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS6490 (Proxy) | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 612.722 ms | 29 - 40 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA7255P ADP | Qualcomm® SA7255P | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 128.052 ms | 1 - 10 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8255 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® SA8255P (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 61.478 ms | 0 - 3 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8295P ADP | Qualcomm® SA8295P | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 80.04 ms | 1 - 17 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8650 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® SA8650P (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 62.303 ms | 1 - 3 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8775P ADP | Qualcomm® SA8775P | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 58.95 ms | 1 - 10 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S24 | Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 43.635 ms | 1 - 19 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S24 | Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 44.395 ms | 56 - 75 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Snapdragon® 8 Elite For Galaxy Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 35.072 ms | 1 - 14 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Snapdragon® 8 Elite For Galaxy Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 36.148 ms | 54 - 67 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 7 Gen 5 Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 191.005 ms | 1 - 15 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 7 Gen 5 Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 184.911 ms | 54 - 63 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen5 Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 28.292 ms | 0 - 12 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen5 Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 28.678 ms | 61 - 72 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon X Elite CRD | Snapdragon® X Elite | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 61.61 ms | 0 - 0 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallEncoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon X Elite CRD | Snapdragon® X Elite | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 61.896 ms | 108 - 108 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8275 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8275 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 13.422 ms | 27 - 36 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8450 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8450 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 11.469 ms | 29 - 46 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8550 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8550 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 8.49 ms | 30 - 33 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS8550 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS8550 (Proxy) | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 8.83 ms | 30 - 32 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | QCS9075 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS9075 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 9.441 ms | 24 - 34 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | RB3 Gen 2 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS6490 (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 32.888 ms | 27 - 38 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | RB3 Gen 2 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® QCS6490 (Proxy) | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 34.862 ms | 37 - 49 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA7255P ADP | Qualcomm® SA7255P | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 13.422 ms | 27 - 36 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8255 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® SA8255P (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 8.26 ms | 35 - 37 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8295P ADP | Qualcomm® SA8295P | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 10.538 ms | 30 - 46 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8650 (Proxy) | Qualcomm® SA8650P (Proxy) | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 8.403 ms | 26 - 28 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | SA8775P ADP | Qualcomm® SA8775P | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 9.441 ms | 24 - 34 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S24 | Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 6.394 ms | 30 - 48 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S24 | Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 6.854 ms | 38 - 57 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Snapdragon® 8 Elite For Galaxy Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 4.825 ms | 28 - 42 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Snapdragon® 8 Elite For Galaxy Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 5.182 ms | 26 - 42 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 7 Gen 5 Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 11.331 ms | 30 - 45 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 7 Gen 5 Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 11.918 ms | 38 - 50 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen5 Mobile | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 4.047 ms | 28 - 40 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 QRD | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen5 Mobile | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 4.395 ms | 37 - 48 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon X Elite CRD | Snapdragon® X Elite | QNN_CONTEXT_BINARY | 7.733 ms | 30 - 30 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
| WhisperSmallDecoderQuantizable | w8a16 | Snapdragon X Elite CRD | Snapdragon® X Elite | PRECOMPILED_QNN_ONNX | 7.756 ms | 186 - 186 MB | NPU | Use Export Script |
Installation
Install the package via pip:
pip install "qai-hub-models[whisper-small-quantized]"
Configure Qualcomm® AI Hub to run this model on a cloud-hosted device
Sign-in to Qualcomm® AI Hub with your
Qualcomm® ID. Once signed in navigate to Account -> Settings -> API Token.
With this API token, you can configure your client to run models on the cloud hosted devices.
qai-hub configure --api_token API_TOKEN
Navigate to docs for more information.
Demo off target
The package contains a simple end-to-end demo that downloads pre-trained weights and runs this model on a sample input.
python -m qai_hub_models.models.whisper_small_quantized.demo
The above demo runs a reference implementation of pre-processing, model inference, and post processing.
NOTE: If you want running in a Jupyter Notebook or Google Colab like environment, please add the following to your cell (instead of the above).
%run -m qai_hub_models.models.whisper_small_quantized.demo
Run model on a cloud-hosted device
In addition to the demo, you can also run the model on a cloud-hosted Qualcomm® device. This script does the following:
- Performance check on-device on a cloud-hosted device
- Downloads compiled assets that can be deployed on-device for Android.
- Accuracy check between PyTorch and on-device outputs.
python -m qai_hub_models.models.whisper_small_quantized.export
Deploying compiled model to Android
The models can be deployed using multiple runtimes:
TensorFlow Lite (
.tfliteexport): This tutorial provides a guide to deploy the .tflite model in an Android application.QNN (
.soexport ): This sample app provides instructions on how to use the.soshared library in an Android application.
View on Qualcomm® AI Hub
Get more details on Whisper-Small-Quantized's performance across various devices here. Explore all available models on Qualcomm® AI Hub
License
- The license for the original implementation of Whisper-Small-Quantized can be found here.
- The license for the compiled assets for on-device deployment can be found here
References
Community
- Join our AI Hub Slack community to collaborate, post questions and learn more about on-device AI.
- For questions or feedback please reach out to us.
