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Resource-Efficient Personal Large Language Models Fine-Tuning With Collaborative Edge Computing

delete2026-01-16
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PRE
AI
S
Shengyuan Ye
B
Bei Ouyang
T
Tianyi Qian
L
Liekang Zeng
J
Jingyi Li
杜江溯 (Jiangsu Du)
X
Xiaowen Chu
G
Guoliang Xing
徐琛 cover
徐琛 (Xu Chen)
DOI:10.1109/TPDS.2026.3654957delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Large language models (LLMs) have enabled transformative applications at the network edge, such as intelligent personal assistants. However, data privacy and security concerns necessitate a shift from cloud-centric paradigms to edge-based fine-tuning for personal LLMs. This transition is significantly hindered by intensive computational requirements and inherent resource scarcity, creating a “resource wall” that compromises training efficiency and feasibility. While current parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) and resource management strategies attempt to mitigate these constraints, they remain insufficient for the limited capacities of individual edge devices. To address these challenges, we propose <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace>, a resourceefficient collaborative edge AI framework for in-situ personal LLM fine-tuning. <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace> overcomes the resource bottlenecks through a sophisticated algorithm-system codesign: (1) Algorithmically, <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace> introduces a fine-tuning technique optimized for parameters, time, and memory. It utilizes Parallel Adapters to circumvent the need for a full backward pass through the LLM backbone. Furthermore, an activation cache mechanism streamlines the process by negating redundant forward passes across multiple epochs. (2) Systematically, <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace> aggregates proximate edge devices into a collective resource pool, employing hybrid data and pipeline parallelism to orchestrate distributed training. By leveraging the activation cache, <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace> enables the exclusive fine-tuning of Parallel Adapters via data parallelism, effectively bypassing the backbone's constraints. Extensive evaluation of the prototype implementation demonstrates that <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace> significantly outperforms existing collaborative edge training systems, achieving up to a 9.7× end-to-end speedup. Furthermore, compared to mainstream LLM fine-tuning algorithms, <monospace xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PAC+</monospace> reduces memory footprint by up to 88.16%.
Keywords:
Edge intelligence
personal LLM fine-tuning
collaborative edge computing
distributed training

Journal

IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems cover
IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems
IF:
6
Papers:
5.2K
Citations:
1.1W

Organization

S
Sun Yat-sen University
Scholars:
3.7K
Papers: 1.1K
Citations: 1.6W