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Macs Unite: Thunderbolt 5 Powers AI Supercomputers
19 Nov
Summary
- macOS Tahoe 26.2 enables Mac clusters via Thunderbolt 5.
- Clusters run massive AI models using less power than GPUs.
- New feature works with Mac Studio, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro.
With the forthcoming macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple is set to redefine Mac capabilities by enabling them to cluster together using Thunderbolt 5. This new low-latency feature transforms multiple Macs into a unified computing system, ideal for developers and researchers building local AI supercomputers. It facilitates the efficient operation of large language models, requiring substantially less power compared to conventional GPU setups.
The enhanced Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, offering up to 80Gb/s, overcomes previous speed limitations in Mac clusters. This capability will be available on the Mac Studio, M4 Pro Mac mini, and M4 Pro/Max MacBook Pro models, requiring only standard Thunderbolt 5 cables. Early demonstrations showcased a four-Mac Studio cluster running a trillion-parameter AI model using under 500 watts, a fraction of the power consumed by comparable PC GPU configurations.
Further boosting AI performance, macOS Tahoe 26.2 will grant Apple's MLX project full access to M5 chip neural accelerators for faster inferencing. While the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip currently only supports Thunderbolt 4, limiting its participation in clustering, the overall advancement empowers users with existing Mac hardware to create powerful AI systems, leveraging the unified memory and energy efficiency of Apple Silicon.
