Apple is considering offering an AI server built around "M8" series chips and has discussed incorporating Nvidia networking hardware, The Information reports. The system would be sold to outside customers, potentially bringing Apple back into a business it left behind when it discontinued Xserve in 2011. Apple is reportedly targeting companies that want to run AI models on their own equipment, with a particular focus on inference and generating responses from trained models.
Apple hardware is one of the best platforms for low scale AI workloads. A simple M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM can comfortably run the best “at-home” model currently available (Qwen3-Coder-Next) around 30-40tkps.
A comparably specced AMD Ryzen AI 395+ can do about half of that.
If Apple delivered that in server-scale, easily scalable packages, there would definitely be buyers.
I don’t know man, anything that becomes a full-sized server/hardware has different pricing than mini-PCs. We are talking about a collaboration with Nvidia, a company that manages to overcharge everyone.
Of course the pricing will be different. My point here was that if Apple can jam that much compute into something as small as a Mac Mini, imagine what they can deliver at 4-5U scale.
Apple and Nvidia hardware combined might just be the solution to more scalable AI compute that uses less power.
i am assuming the performance comes from the soldered components improving signal integrity? the same reason the framework desktop has soldered memory? if true, then there would not be much customization, i imagine.
Apple hardware is one of the best platforms for low scale AI workloads. A simple M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM can comfortably run the best “at-home” model currently available (Qwen3-Coder-Next) around 30-40tkps.
A comparably specced AMD Ryzen AI 395+ can do about half of that.
If Apple delivered that in server-scale, easily scalable packages, there would definitely be buyers.
I don’t know man, anything that becomes a full-sized server/hardware has different pricing than mini-PCs. We are talking about a collaboration with Nvidia, a company that manages to overcharge everyone.
Of course the pricing will be different. My point here was that if Apple can jam that much compute into something as small as a Mac Mini, imagine what they can deliver at 4-5U scale.
Apple and Nvidia hardware combined might just be the solution to more scalable AI compute that uses less power.
I’m imagining someone sticking Mac Minis into a UCS chassis as the server blades and giggling a bit
i am assuming the performance comes from the soldered components improving signal integrity? the same reason the framework desktop has soldered memory? if true, then there would not be much customization, i imagine.