Apple is stepping up its push into corporate artificial intelligence with upgraded Mac Mini and Mac Studio computers designed to run sophisticated AI workloads locally, challenging Microsoft and Nvidia in a market increasingly focused on reducing the cost of cloud computing.
The new Macs, which can cost nearly $20,000, are being positioned for tasks such as software development and complex business operations without requiring companies to pay cloud providers for every unit of AI processing.
Apple’s strategy relies heavily on its Apple Silicon architecture, which combines computing and memory more closely than traditional PC designs. The approach, originally developed to improve power efficiency in devices such as the iPhone, has also made the chips suitable for running AI models locally.
The company recently demonstrated four Mac Studios working together to run a trillion-parameter AI model, a workload that would typically require significant data-centre resources.
Microsoft is pursuing a similar market with on-device AI capabilities for Windows PCs, while Nvidia is expanding its presence through AI-focused PC chips.
Apple faces a major challenge in corporate computing, however. Its share of the enterprise desktop and laptop market remains far below Windows, meaning broader adoption will require convincing businesses that its hardware can deliver meaningful AI performance and cost savings.
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