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Published equation contexts

ccloud−cdc_{\mathrm{cloud}} - c_{d}

Why this formula appears here

This is the same fixed-cost-against-marginal-cost structure that governs any make-versus-buy or capital-versus-operating-expense decision, and it is the structure Qualcomm’s marginal-cost claim silently assumes has already been paid off. Palkhiwala’s statement that an extra inference event is “effectively free” once the device is purchased is a claim about cdc_{d} alone; it says nothing about CdevC_{\mathrm{dev}} or U , both of which are paid by the model’s operator, not amortized into the price the customer already paid for the phone. Qualcomm’s own public argument for why ccloudc_{\mathrm{cloud}} matters so much elsewhere in this equation is worth pairing with the CFO’s quote: the company’s 2023…

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ccloudc_{\mathrm{cloud}}

Symbol c_cloud

ccc_cloud is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.

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cdc_{d}

Symbol c_d

the marginal cost of one additional on-device inference and ccloudc_{\mathrm{cloud}} as the marginal cost of one additional cloud-served inference of the same model.

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Published contexts (1)

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ccloud−cdc_{\mathrm{cloud}} - c_{d}

Equation 20 · Edge AI & Electronics

The Real Economics of Shipping a Model to a Device

This mathematical expression combines the displayed quantities; its precise role follows from the surrounding article text.

This is the same fixed-cost-against-marginal-cost structure that governs any make-versus-buy or capital-versus-operating-expense decision, and it is the structure Qualcomm’s marginal-cost claim silently assumes has already been paid off. Palkhiwala’s statement that an extra inference event is “effectively free” once the device is purchased is a claim about cdc_{d} alone; it says nothing about CdevC_{\mathrm{dev}} or U , both of which are paid by the model’s operator, not amortized into the price the customer already paid for the phone. Qualcomm’s own public argument for why ccloudc_{\mathrm{cloud}} matters so much elsewhere in this equation is worth pairing with the CFO’s quote: the company’s 2023…

Meanings in this article

  • cdc_{d}: the marginal cost of one additional on-device inference and ccloudc_{\mathrm{cloud}} as the marginal cost of one additional cloud-served inference of the same model.
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