Running small language models locally for agentic coding: A practical evaluation on Apple Silicon
A technical memo detailing the author's hands-on experiences running small language models locally on Apple Silicon Macs (M3 Max with 48GB RAM, M5 Pro with 64GB RAM) specifically for agentic coding tasks (not just auto-complete). The piece evaluates the viability funnel of hardware, model choice, runtime, and harness for local AI-assisted software development, sharing concrete task outcomes and conclusions.
Key quotes
This is the second memo where I describe my recent experiences on running small models locally on my developer machine for agentic coding.
To recap: my focus is on agentic coding specifically, not just auto-complete.
The machines I used were an M3 Max with 48GB RAM and an M5 Pro with 64GB RAM.
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