Apple and Meta team up to run Meta’s Muse Spark Open AI model on local Macs

Apple and Meta have announced a partnership that enables Meta’s large AI model, Muse Spark Open, to run directly on Mac Studio computers equipped with M5 Ultra chips. The collaboration leverages Apple’s MLX framework to distribute processing across machines and overcome memory limitations.

Alexandr Wang, Meta’s director of artificial intelligence, commented:

Where it makes sense to collaborate and form partnerships, we want to be able to do that.

We’re excited for mom and dad to get along again.

A model with 816 billion parameters

Muse Spark Open has a total of 816 billion parameters, of which 42 billion are active during execution. The architecture uses a mixture of experts, selecting parts of the system based on the task, and was designed for programming, tool use, and processes that require multiple steps.

In the presented configuration, each Mac Studio offers up to 512 GB of unified memory. Combining two machines allows the model to remain operational, leveraging the combined memory capacity and high performance of the equipment.

Local execution and its implications

While cloud-based AI services process requests on remote servers, the local version uses the user’s own resources. This provides greater control over where data is processed and eliminates the need for a remote call for each interaction, although tasks that consult external websites or services still require an internet connection.

Downloading the model files is free, but operation requires investment in hardware, energy, and configuration. Economic viability depends on usage intensity and the infrastructure required for each application.

Privacy context and previous disputes

The two companies held opposing positions in 2021 when Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency, requiring apps to request permission to track user activity on third-party services. Meta criticized the measure, arguing that it harmed its targeted advertising model.

The current collaboration represents a new way of distributing technology, allowing developers to run the model on infrastructure of their choice, without resolving existing disputes in other areas.

License usage conditions

Muse Spark Open was released under the Muse Model License, which permits various free commercial uses but imposes conditions. Companies that offer the model as a service and exceed the revenue limit specified in the license must negotiate a separate agreement with Meta.

Therefore, the availability of weights for download does not mean unrestricted use. Developers must comply with attribution requirements, usage policies, and rules applicable to their business.

The initiative also fulfills a previous promise made by Meta, which announced open versions of Muse Spark after releasing the closed model in April.

Tests and demonstrations

Meta released tests that modified an iOS app and performed video editing in DaVinci Resolve, demonstrating the model’s versatility when run locally.

Running Muse Spark Open on a Mac does not equate to integrating it with Siri or Apple Intelligence. The announced partnership is limited to local execution of the model, with no plans to incorporate it into Apple’s AI systems.