AI, edge computing, open-source
1 year
3 core contributors (2 ML engineers, 1 OSS architect)
GitHub Actions, LLMs, ONNX.js, Rust, Swift
GitHub CI, Flake8, Pytest, Pre-commit
The WhiteLightning project started with a question: Does text classification need the cloud every time?
It began as an internal experiment during our ML hack days, aimed at exploring what could be done with less. LLMs are great, but for most real-world use cases, you don’t need a 175B-parameter model on standby. Instead, you need something fast, portable, and private. Something that works offline, ships inside your app, and doesn’t rack up API bills.
Instead of utilizing LLMs at runtime, we use them once to generate synthetic data. Then, distill that into a compact, ONNX-based model that runs anywhere. No cloud, no lock-in, no friction. Just a simple way to go from idea to working classifier on your terms.
Uses LLMs once for data generation (~$0.01 vs $1–10 per query)
Easily fits in mobile apps, kiosks, or embedded firmware
Generate a binary classifier on a laptop in minutes
That’s 0.38 ms per input on commodity CPUs
Runs on low-power hardware like Raspberry Pi Zero
Identical logits across Python, Rust, Swift, and more
No cloud, no vendor lock-in, no latency risks
ONNX.js (web), iOS/Android (mobile), MCUs (embedded), laptops (desktop)
Add sentiment analysis to a desktop app without paying per query or relying on the cloud — it just works offline, out of the box.
Add sentiment analysis to a desktop app without paying per query or relying on the cloud — it just works offline, out of the box.
Add sentiment analysis to a desktop app without paying per query or relying on the cloud — it just works offline, out of the box.
WhiteLightning was developed to make intelligent text classification possible
anywhere, even in environments where cloud access is limited, restricted, or simply
not allowed.
WhiteLightning was built to work even on extremely low-spec hardware. With models under 1 MB, no runtime dependencies, and ONNX compatibility, it runs smoothly on:
Raspberry Pi Zero
Old laptops
Budget Android phones
In-browser via ONNX.js
Microcontrollers with limited RAM
WhiteLightning is 100% open-source under GPL-3.0. The classifiers it generates are
MIT-licensed and yours to use in commercial apps.
Our team maintains it publicly:
Whether you need assistance or want to discuss our services,
feel free to get in touch with us.