Local AI news

Opera lets websites use AI that runs on your own PC

Opera’s browsers can now run open AI models on the user’s computer, through a proposed web standard called WebAI. It is an opt-in early preview, and nothing is downloaded until the user turns it on.

Opera started an early preview of WebAI on October 27. It lets websites and browser extensions use AI models that run on the user’s own computer instead of a company’s servers. It starts in Opera One on Windows and Apple-silicon Macs, with Opera GX and Opera Neon to follow, Opera says.

Tests find RTX Spark laptops fast at local AI, but hot

Reviewers ran AI models with more than 100 billion parameters on laptops with Nvidia’s new chip. Laptops with RTX 5090 graphics were faster on smaller models, and three testers saw crashes or shutdowns under heavy load.

The first independent tests of laptops with Nvidia’s RTX Spark chip came out on October 15 and 16. In Tom’s Hardware’s test of local AI agent tasks, Apple’s M5 Max MacBook Pro took about 25% longer than Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra. Most AI tests used versions with 128GB of memory, which cost $5,899.99 for the Surface.

Microsoft’s RTX Spark Surface Laptop Ultra starts at $2,599

Preorders opened on October 7, and the laptop ships on October 16. A $5,999 desktop box with the same Nvidia chip follows in November in the US. No independent reviews exist yet.

Microsoft opened preorders for the Surface Laptop Ultra on October 7, from $2,599. It uses Nvidia’s RTX Spark chip and up to 128GB of memory shared by the processor and graphics. Microsoft says it can run AI models with more than 120 billion parameters on the laptop itself. The Surface RTX Spark Dev Box costs $5,999.

Nvidia adds a 64GB DGX Spark, from $4,999 at partners

The desktop AI computer keeps the same chip with half the memory, as memory prices soar. It goes on sale on October 23 from six PC makers.

Nvidia announced a 64GB version of its DGX Spark desktop AI computer on October 2. Systems from Acer, ASUS, Dell, Gigabyte, HP and MSI start at $4,999 and go on sale on October 23. Nvidia says one unit runs models of up to 100 billion parameters.

Nvidia PAIR lets AI work across several computers at home

The free, open-source tool sends separate Ollama and LM Studio tasks to trusted computers on one local network. It does not combine their memory into one larger GPU.