Google claims EmbeddingGemma 2 outperforms rival embedding models twice its size

What happened
Google released EmbeddingGemma 2, an open model with 740 million parameters that converts text, images, video, audio, and code into vectors. It runs on-device, needs only about 191 MB of RAM, and outperforms some competing models twice its size, according to Google. Paired with a small open model like Gemma 4, it can run offline RAG apps without sending data to external servers.
Summary assembled by rule from the sources below