Published · 10h agoProduct2 min read
Perplexity's local agent keeps your files at home, if you own a $1,500 graphics card
Portable Computer runs Perplexity's agent on 27B models on your own hardware. Paid tiers only, Linux first, Windows in September, and a 24GB VRAM floor most desktops miss.
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What happened
- Perplexity released Portable Computer on Tuesday, a local-model version of the Personal Computer agent it shipped in February.
- The models, the user's files and the work stay on the machine, and the user decides whether the agent goes online at all.
- Local execution consumes no billing credits; only the parts of a task that reach the network draw down credits and tokens.
- It is Linux-only for now, with Windows promised in September, and restricted to Pro, Max, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max accounts.
Compiled by The Product DeskSomething wrong?How this is made
Why it matters
- costThe spend moves forward in time: instead of metered tokens after the fact, the buyer funds a card and a subscription before the agent completes a single task.
- constraintA 24GB VRAM floor keeps this out of reach of ordinary office desktops, so the data-residency argument only lands for people who already own workstation-class Nvidia silicon.
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Perplexity unveiled Portable Computer on Tuesday, a new version of its Personal Computer agent released in February, which relies on local AI models to handle agentic requests without online overhead.
ReportedView cited source - [2]
With Portable Computer, the models, the user's files and the user's work stay on the machine, and the user controls if and when the AI goes online.
ReportedView cited source - [3]
Users can still connect Portable Computer to external services including Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and GitHub to incorporate cloud-based files and information.
ReportedView cited source - [4]
Perplexity said in its blog post: "Perplexity Portable Computer is a local-first agent. Sensitive data therefore never leaves the device without permission, and local models carry no inference fee: the system is private and cost-effective by construction."
- [5]
Running the agent locally uses no billing credits; if part of a task needs to go online, only the cloud work consumes credits and tokens.
ReportedView cited source - [6]
Portable Computer is available only to paid accounts: Pro, Max, Enterprise Pro and Enterprise Max subscribers, not free users.
ReportedView cited source
Sources & coverage · 1 publisher
The reporting this story was synthesized from, earliest first. Every link goes to the original.
Additional citations
- Perplexity blog post, quoted by ZDNet
- ZDNet writer describing his own machine
- ZDNet
