Perplexity launches Portable Computer, a local AI agent platform running fully on-device with zero token costs, starting with Nvidia DGX Spark and RTX Linux PCs (Michael Nuñez/VentureBeat)

Perplexity has launched Portable Computer, a local AI agent platform that runs entirely on-device with zero token costs. It is initially available on Nvidia DGX Spark and RTX Linux PCs. This version of Perplexity's agentic "Computer" platform allows users to run AI models locally on their own hardware, keeping their files and work on the machine.

Running AI locally offers benefits such as faster performance and lower costs compared to cloud-based models. According to VentureBeat, the model, user files, and work can all stay on the machine, and tasks completed locally consume no billing credits. The system defaults to running tasks on the device, asking permission before sending any steps to a more powerful frontier model in the cloud.

Perplexity developed Portable Computer in close partnership with Nvidia, which sees local AI as a practical tool that has crossed a threshold from hobbyist curiosity. The chipmaker wants to sell the hardware that runs local AI, marking a strategic shift in its approach to AI.

Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, SiliconANGLE, ZDNet, VentureBeat — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.