Perplexity’s Computer for Enterprise Completed 3.25 Years of Work in Four Weeks

Artificial intelligence companies are beginning to rethink what a computer actually is, and Perplexity is pushing that idea further with a new platform designed to let AI agents operate across a user’s digital environment.

The company introduced Wednesday (March 11) Personal Computer, a system designed to allow AI agents to interact with files, applications and online services rather than simply responding to prompts in a chat interface. The system runs on Apple’s Mac mini and can operate around the clock while connecting to a user’s local applications and Perplexity’s servers.

Perplexity described the platform as a kind of digital proxy that works continuously on a user’s behalf. Instead of waiting for instructions each time a task appears, the system can coordinate tools, files and workflows across devices while carrying out tasks in the background.

The launch expands the power of Perplexity Computer, which debuted last month, “across personal workflows, enterprise software, developer platforms and finance,” Perplexity said in a statement. “The throughline is the same in each case: a system that can understand the goal, gather the right context, use the right tools, and carry the work forward. Everything is Computer.”

Personal Computer operates within a controlled environment designed to limit risk. Sensitive actions require user approval, each session generates an audit trail, and a kill switch allows users to immediately stop activity.

The system is initially being rolled out through a limited waitlist and is expected to be offered through a subscription model priced at about $200 per month, Decoder reported Friday (March 13).

Beyond individual users, the company is also positioning the technology for businesses through a version called Computer for Enterprise. In internal testing of more than 16,000 queries, measured against institutional benchmarks used by organizations such as McKinsey, Harvard, MIT and Boston Consulting Group, Perplexity said the system completed what it estimated to be 3.25 years of work in four weeks, saving roughly $1.6 million in labor costs.

The enterprise system connects directly to business software through application connectors, allowing teams to query platforms such as Snowflake, Salesforce and HubSpot while simultaneously analyzing other internal or external data sources.

A financial analyst, for example, could ask the system to retrieve revenue data from Snowflake while combining it with market analysis, while a sales team could pull CRM data alongside competitive intelligence.

The platform runs on a secure foundation that includes SOC 2 Type II compliance, SAML single sign-on and audit logs, with each query executed inside its own isolated environment.

Developers Turn to Mac Mini to Run AI Agents

Perplexity’s system runs on a dedicated Mac mini, although the hardware itself is not essential to the concept and could eventually be replaced by other always-on machines designed to host AI agents.

Mac minis have become increasingly popular among developers who want to run AI agents locally rather than relying entirely on cloud infrastructure, Tech Rader reported Feb. 17. Mac minis have become harder to obtain in certain markets as programmers buy the machines specifically to run AI agent systems.

Developer communities are increasingly recommending Mac minis for running AI agents because they combine strong computing performance with relatively low energy consumption, open-source vector database Milvus said in a blog post. Developers often treat the device less like a personal computer and more like a small server dedicated to running AI workloads.

The growing use of Mac minis to run AI agents reflects a broader shift in how AI software operates. As new agent frameworks emerge, computers may evolve from tools used occasionally into environments where AI agents run continuously, managing tasks and interacting with digital systems throughout the day.

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