A hands-on test of the 256GB M5 Ultra Mac Studio found it capable of running large local AI models, including Qwen3.8-Flash-Next, fast enough to power personal assistant apps like Open Minis and Hermes Agent without cloud costs. The reviewer compared it against the prior M3 Ultra Mac Studio and a gaming PC with an RTX 5090, noting the Mac's smaller size, lower noise, and unified memory architecture as key advantages despite the 5090 retaining a memory-bandwidth edge.
macstories.net
· 2026-09-21
Early reviews of Apple's upcoming M5 Ultra Mac Studio, arriving alongside the M6 Mac mini, highlight its strength for running AI models locally without cloud costs. MacStories' Federico Viticci tested the 256GB configuration for several days, comparing it against the previous M3 Ultra model and a high-end gaming PC, and found it dramatically changed his approach to running local AI agents and assistants.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-21
Comfy Desktop is a desktop application that manages and launches ComfyUI, the node-based engine used to run generative AI models like Qwen, Stable Diffusion, SDXL, Flux and Wan locally. It automates installation of Python environments, GPU dependencies and updates, letting users run multiple isolated ComfyUI setups side by side with snapshot and rollback support across Windows, macOS and Linux.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-21
A Fast Company panel featuring executives from Lyft, All Voting Is Local, and the ACLU discussed how the 2026 midterm elections could reshape federal and state policy in ways that directly affect companies. Moderated by Fast Company's Amy Farley, the discussion focused on how shifting political control could influence trade, immigration, technology, and economic regulation. Panelists also highlighted the growing role of state governments in setting rules on AI, data privacy, climate, and energy.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-16
System76 has introduced Thelio Mira AI, a Linux-based desktop workstation aimed at local AI development that supports GPU configurations offering up to 192 GB of memory. The machine is designed to let developers train, fine-tune, and iterate on demanding AI models without relying on cloud infrastructure, and it ships with standard System76 hardware warranty options of one, two, or three years.
system76.com
· 2026-09-10
Microsoft introduced Project Zenith, a decluttered version of Windows 11 aimed at developers doing local AI work, initially available on AMD's Ryzen AI Halo mini-desktop with 64GB of RAM. The build comes preloaded with developer tools and languages, enables settings like visible file extensions by default, and is designed to let users run large AI models locally without cloud costs.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-04
Perplexity and Nvidia have released an AI agent designed to run entirely on local hardware rather than through cloud-based inference, eliminating per-token usage charges. The system relies on on-device processing, letting users run agentic AI workflows without sending data to remote servers or paying ongoing API costs.
slashdot.org
· 2026-08-25
Perplexity introduced Portable Computer, a new variant of its Personal Computer AI agent that runs entirely on a user's own machine instead of the cloud. It performs the same agentic tasks and can still connect to services like Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and GitHub, but keeps files, models and processing local unless a task specifically requires going online.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-25
GoKawiil