Meta Launches Muse Spark Open, An 816 Billion Parameter AI Model Built for Mac Computers

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

42 Sources

Share

Meta unveiled Muse Spark Open, calling it the most capable US open-weight AI model to date. Built through a rare collaboration with Apple, the 816 billion parameter model runs locally on Mac Studio computers but requires 1TB of RAM. The model excels at agentic and coding tasks, offering developers a cost-efficient alternative to closed AI systems.

Meta and Apple Collaboration Produces Powerful Open-Weight AI Model

Meta has released Muse Spark Open, which the company describes as the most capable US open-weight AI model to date

1

. The launch marks an unexpected Meta and Apple collaboration, with both companies working together over several months to optimize the model for Apple Silicon

3

. Mark Zuckerberg announced the partnership on X, stating that Muse Spark Open runs exceptionally well on new Mac Studios thanks to work with John Ternus and Apple

3

. Apple's new CEO responded enthusiastically, highlighting how Mac Studio keeps pushing the boundaries of on-device AI

3

.

Source: PYMNTS

Source: PYMNTS

This partnership represents a significant shift for two companies that have historically taken divergent paths. Apple's privacy-focused approach has clashed with Meta's advertising business model, most notably when Apple's app tracking opt-out feature cost Meta $10 billion in 2022

2

. Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang told Axios the team is excited for mommy and daddy to be playing nice again

2

.

Technical Specifications and Hardware Requirements

Muse Spark Open leverages 816 billion parameters and a 1 million token context window, positioning it as a natively multimodal model built for complex software engineering and multi-step reasoning

1

3

. The model has 42 billion active parameters and multimodal capabilities that excel at agentic and coding tasks

2

.

Source: SiliconANGLE

Source: SiliconANGLE

To run locally on Mac computers, users need substantial computing power. The model requires at least 1TB of RAM, achievable through two M5 Ultra Mac Studios

5

. Apple's unified memory architecture allows the M5 Ultra's integrated GPU to use up to 512GB per Mac Studio, meaning two machines can function as one supercomputer with a terabyte of unified memory

5

. At $5,499 each, this setup represents a significant investment

2

. Alternatively, the model can run on four 256GB M5 Ultra Mac Studios, costing roughly $38,000

5

.

Performance and Practical Applications

Meta claims Muse Spark Open outperforms leading Chinese models GLM 5.3 and Kimi K3 on agentic tasks and visual reasoning, according to benchmarks released by the company

5

. The company paired the model with Muse Code, its AI coding terminal, and deployed it to various workflows including coding fixes for a Mastodon client that included bug fixes, new features, and full builds

1

.

Meta also tested the model with DaVinci Resolve, the high-end video editing software, demonstrating its capability to review and crop footage

1

. These practical demonstrations showcase the model's versatility across different professional workflows.

Open-Weight Advantages and Strategic Positioning

As an open-weight AI model, Muse Spark Open makes trained parameters available for developers to modify and customize to their needs

4

. Open-weight models offer distinct industry advantages including significant cost-efficiency and transparency that closed-source AI systems don't provide

1

. For organizations burning through token budgets on subscription services, investing in Mac Studios to run the model locally might prove more economical long-term

5

.

Source: Gadgets 360

Source: Gadgets 360

Meta has positioned this release within broader geopolitical AI competition, stating the company believes the US should not allow Chinese labs to lead on open-source AI

5

. The model's weights are publicly available now on Hugging Face under Meta's Muse Model license

2

. Apple also published a technical post about MLX framework, an array framework for machine learning tasks on Apple Silicon

3

. Meta is making the model available through various API platforms as well

1

.

Today's Top Stories

© 2026 TheOutpost.AI All rights reserved