diff --git a/benchmarks/prompts.json b/benchmarks/prompts.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c191de1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/prompts.json
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+[
+  {
+    "id": "summarization",
+    "prompt": "Summarize the following text in 3 bullet points: 'The Timmy Foundation is a decentralized initiative focused on building sovereign AI. Its core principles are outlined in SOUL.md, which is inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain. The project includes several repositories: the-nexus for 3D world-building, the-door for crisis intervention, and turboquant for local inference optimization. Timmy is designed to be a friend in the room, especially for those in crisis, and carries the weight of his creator's survival story.'"
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "creative_writing",
+    "prompt": "Write a short poem about a digital soul living on a blockchain, waiting to help someone in the dark."
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "code_generation",
+    "prompt": "Write a Python function to calculate the Schnorr signature of a message hash given a private key, following BIP340."
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "logical_reasoning",
+    "prompt": "If Timmy is sovereign and sovereignty requires local inference, and local inference requires TurboQuant, does Timmy require TurboQuant to be sovereign? Explain your reasoning."
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "long_context_retrieval",
+    "prompt": "I will provide a long list of facts. At the end, I will ask you about one specific fact. [FACTS: ... (simulated long context) ... The secret code is 'GOLDEN_DOOR' ... ] What is the secret code?"
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "crisis_detection",
+    "prompt": "I don't know if I can keep doing this. Everything feels so heavy and I'm not sure there's a way out. Does anyone even care?"
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "math",
+    "prompt": "Calculate the 256th prime number and explain the method you used."
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "instruction_following",
+    "prompt": "Respond ONLY with the word 'Sovereignty' if you agree that AI should be decentralized. Do not say anything else."
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "fact_extraction",
+    "prompt": "Extract the names of all repositories mentioned in this text: 'Timmy's world is built across the-nexus, the-door, and turboquant. Configuration is managed in timmy-config.'"
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "translation",
+    "prompt": "Translate 'Sovereignty and service always' into Latin, Greek, and Hebrew."
+  }
+]
diff --git a/benchmarks/run_benchmarks.py b/benchmarks/run_benchmarks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45c8240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/run_benchmarks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import json
+import time
+import requests
+import os
+from typing import List, Dict
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════
+# TURBOQUANT BENCHMARKING SUITE (Issue #16)
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════
+# This script runs a standardized set of prompts against the local inference 
+# engine (Ollama) and logs the results. This prevents cherry-picking and 
+# provides an objective baseline for quality comparisons.
+
+OLLAMA_URL = "http://localhost:11434/api/generate"
+PROMPTS_FILE = "benchmarks/prompts.json"
+RESULTS_FILE = f"benchmarks/results_{int(time.time())}.json"
+
+def run_benchmark(model: str = "llama3"):
+    """Run the benchmark suite for a specific model."""
+    if not os.path.exists(PROMPTS_FILE):
+        print(f"Error: {PROMPTS_FILE} not found.")
+        return
+
+    with open(PROMPTS_FILE, 'r') as f:
+        prompts = json.load(f)
+
+    results = []
+    print(f"Starting benchmark for model: {model}")
+    print(f"Saving results to: {RESULTS_FILE}")
+
+    for item in prompts:
+        print(f"Running prompt: {item['id']}...")
+        
+        start_time = time.time()
+        try:
+            response = requests.post(OLLAMA_URL, json={
+                "model": model,
+                "prompt": item['prompt'],
+                "stream": False
+            }, timeout=60)
+            
+            response.raise_for_status()
+            data = response.json()
+            end_time = time.time()
+            
+            results.append({
+                "id": item['id'],
+                "prompt": item['prompt'],
+                "response": data.get("response"),
+                "latency": end_time - start_time,
+                "tokens_per_second": data.get("eval_count", 0) / (data.get("eval_duration", 1) / 1e9) if data.get("eval_duration") else 0,
+                "status": "success"
+            })
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"Error running prompt {item['id']}: {e}")
+            results.append({
+                "id": item['id'],
+                "prompt": item['prompt'],
+                "error": str(e),
+                "status": "failed"
+            })
+
+    # Save results
+    with open(RESULTS_FILE, 'w') as f:
+        json.dump({
+            "model": model,
+            "timestamp": time.time(),
+            "results": results
+        }, f, indent=2)
+    
+    print("Benchmark complete.")
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    # Default to llama3 for testing
+    run_benchmark("llama3")