TinyCorp Unveils Working NVIDIA GPU Prototype for M3 Max MacBooks, Drivers Available

The Unthinkable Becomes Reality: NVIDIA GPUs Now Work on Apple's M3 Max MacBooks

For years, Apple's ambitious pivot to its proprietary Arm-based silicon, particularly the M-series chips, has presented a formidable barrier to integrating external GPUs. The architecture, while incredibly efficient for integrated graphics, largely sidelined the possibility of using powerful, third-party graphics cards. However, a remarkable breakthrough has emerged from the innovative minds at TinyCorp, a startup deeply entrenched in the artificial intelligence space. After enduring years of fruitless attempts by others, they've not only cracked the code but have also developed functional drivers, paving the way for NVIDIA's potent graphics processing units to operate on MacBook Pro models.

A Herculean Feat of Engineering Through USB4 and Thunderbolt 4

This isn't TinyCorp's first foray into this challenging territory. Previously, the company showcased a working setup that connected an AMD Radeon GPU to a MacBook via the USB3 interface. Now, they've amplified their success by demonstrating the compatibility of NVIDIA graphics cards spanning the last three generations with a 2023 MacBook Pro equipped with an M3 Max chip. The magic behind this groundbreaking achievement lies in the utilization of USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 connections. These high-bandwidth interfaces provide the crucial PCIe connectivity that external GPUs rely upon, transforming what was once a distant dream into tangible reality.

To facilitate this integration, TinyCorp is directing users towards the ADT-UT3G dock from ADT-Link. The company has helpfully provided straightforward instructions for setting up the hardware. The process, in essence, involves a few key steps:

NVIDIA over USB4 on MacBook is ready to try! * ADT-UT3G dock + any 30/40/50 series GPU * Disable SIP * Install driver `extra/usbgpu/tbgpu` * Install NVK compiler `brew install tinymesa` * Test with: `DEBUG=2 NV_NAK=1 NV=1 python3 test/test_tiny.py TestTiny.test_plus`

A Powerful Tool for AI, Not for Gaming… Yet

Before gamers get too excited about a potential revolution in Mac-based gaming, it's crucial to temper expectations. The drivers meticulously crafted by TinyCorp are presently engineered exclusively for artificial intelligence workloads. This means they are optimized for tasks like deep learning, machine learning, and running large language models (LLMs), not for rendering graphically intensive games or even for basic display output. Nevertheless, for AI developers and researchers, this represents an astonishing leap forward. The formidable processing power of NVIDIA's RTX 30, 40, or 50 series GPUs, coupled with the robust bandwidth of USB4 and Thunderbolt 4, offers an unprecedented opportunity to perform demanding AI computations directly within the familiar macOS environment. It's akin to giving a supercharger to a finely tuned engine, unlocking performance previously thought unattainable.