With new Mac Studio and Mac mini, Apple bets big on local AI
August 26, 2026
Based on reporting from Ars Technica → — simplified & explained by VAIIYA.
Apple has released an update to its compact desktop computers, the Mac mini and Mac Studio. Where these systems were previously known mainly as versatile workstations for graphics professionals and software developers, the tech giant is now explicitly positioning the new models as powerhouses for local artificial intelligence.
While the computers' enclosures remain unchanged, the major upgrade lies under the hood. With this generation, Apple is introducing two new system-on-a-chips (SoCs): the M6 and the M5 Ultra.
A leap in chip technology: M6 and M5 Ultra
The M6 is Apple's first Mac chip built on a 2nm process. The processor features a 12-core CPU, combining three different core types for the first time: two so-called "super cores," four performance cores, and six efficiency cores. According to Apple's claims, this delivers up to 40 percent better multi-threaded performance compared to the M4 chip. Memory on the standard M6 remains capped at a maximum of 32GB, however.
For heavier workloads, Apple is bringing the M5 Ultra to the Mac Studio. This chip effectively fuses two M5 Max processors into one unit. The result is an impressive configuration with 36 CPU cores, 80 GPU cores, and memory bandwidth of up to 1.2 TB per second. The flagship also supports up to a full 512GB of shared memory.
Running large language models locally
The powerful memory specifications directly address growing demand among developers. Since macOS 26.2, developers have been able to link multiple Macs together for distributed AI tasks via fast Thunderbolt 5 connections and Apple's open-source MLX framework.
This makes it possible to run large open-weight models, such as those from Qwen or DeepSeek, locally. This offers developers and researchers a cost-effective alternative to expensive cloud-based AI services or costly specialized hardware using Nvidia's enterprise GPUs.
Specifications and availability
Alongside the new compute chips, both desktop models feature Apple's N1 chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Internal storage speeds have doubled to 15 GB/s. The Mac mini will also now ship standard with a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, with a 10Gb option available.
The new Mac mini with M6 starts at $899, while the Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499. Delivery of the first units begins on September 22, alongside the new macOS 27 Golden Gate.