Ollama Now Runs Faster on Macs Thanks to Apple's MLX Framework
Ollama, the popular app for running AI models locally on a computer, has released an update that takes advantage of Apple's own machine learning framework, MLX. The result is a hefty speed boost on Macs with Apple silicon.
According to Ollama, the new version processes prompts around 1.6 times faster (prefill speed) and nearly doubles the speed at which it generates responses (decode speed). Macs with M5-series chips are said to see the largest improvements, thanks to Apple's new GPU Neural Accelerators.
The update also includes smarter memory management, which should make AI-powered coding tools and chat assistants feel noticeably more responsive during extended use.
Ollama says the new performance boost should especially benefit macOS users who run personal assistants like OpenClaw or coding agents like Claude Code, OpenCode, or Codex.
The preview release is available to download as Ollama 0.19 – just make sure you have a Mac with more than 32GB of unified memory to run it. Support is currently limited to Alibaba's Qwen3.5, but Ollama says support for more AI models is planned.
Popular Stories
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
End-to-End Encryption for RCS
Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
While the ongoing RAM chip shortage is leading some Android smartphone makers to increase prices, one analyst believes that Apple will take advantage of the situation with the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
In a research note with GF Securities today, analyst Jeff Pu said he expects Apple to outperform in the smartphone market by having an "aggressive pricing strategy" for the ...
