Perplexity Portable Computer Turns NVIDIA DGX Spark Into An Out-Of-The-Box Local AI Agent

Local AI is a fast-moving field, and there’s a lot of confusion around how to get started with it. Most novice users start with a lot of questions, like “what models will run well on my hardware?” or “how do I serve it?” nevermind even interacting with the model, to get it to perform certain tasks efficiently. There has been traditionally a lot of setup involved, and getting started can be daunting for those who aren’t software developers specifically. The uninitiated can’t simply buy a DGX Spark and instantly fire up local AI for daily use. Perplexity and NVIDIA saw that confusion and realized there needed to be a better way. That’s why the two companies have jointly announced Perplexity’s Portable Computer, which will be offered as a free add-on to Perplexity’s AI subscription services. 

Generally, there are three parts to a local AI software setup: a model, a server, and a harness. Portable Computer was designed to make that accessible to everyone without having to know what those components are, what options are available, and how to get them set up correctly in your environment. Perplexity says its goal is to take all of the complexity out of getting started, so it provides all of the necessary software components into a bundle that’s easy to install, and downloads everything you need all in one shot. 

What Devices Does Perplexity’s Portable Computer Run On?

The initial release of Portable Computer is focused…