Mac mini LLM Lab

Turn a Mac mini into a low-noise, always-on local AI appliance.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Setting up a dedicated local LLM inference server
• Building a private AI development environment
• Need always-on model serving without cloud costs
• Running models that require Apple Silicon unified memory (32-192GB)
• Creating a home lab AI server for a small team

Prerequisites

• Mac mini with Apple Silicon (M2/M3/M4, 16GB+ unified memory recommended)
• macOS Sonoma 14+ or Sequoia 15+
• Ethernet connection (recommended over Wi-Fi)
• UPS for power protection (optional but recommended)