Global AI, Malaysia Angle / AI news for Malaysia
Perplexity's local AI agent reaches Windows PCs with 24GB NVIDIA graphics
An AI agent that works through files on your own PC, and asks before sending anything to the cloud, now runs on Windows. The catch is a graphics card with at least 24GB of memory.
In brief
- Perplexity added Portable Computer, a local version of its Perplexity Computer agent, to its Windows app on 14 September 2026 for NVIDIA GeForce RTX PCs and RTX PRO workstations.[1]
- It needs an RTX or RTX PRO graphics card with at least 24GB of memory. NVIDIA's own GeForce comparison lists that much only on the RTX 5090, RTX 4090, RTX 3090 Ti and RTX 3090.[1][2]
- Sensitive files stay on the device and local work uses no Perplexity Computer credits, but no price, plan or country availability is given.[1]
Perplexity's agent moves from Linux to Windows RTX PCs
An AI agent that works through your files without shipping them to a data centre is now on Windows, if you own the right graphics card. NVIDIA announced on 14 September 2026 that Perplexity has added Portable Computer to its Windows app for compatible GeForce RTX PCs and RTX PRO workstations.[1]
The post says the Windows release builds on existing support for NVIDIA DGX Spark systems and Linux RTX PCs. What changes is the operating system, and with it the question most readers will ask: does my PC qualify?[1]
What Portable Computer actually does on the PC
NVIDIA describes Portable Computer as a local version of Perplexity Computer, the company's agent that plans and carries out multistep tasks. Running on the graphics card, it uses local models to analyse data, pull information together across files and handle recurring work. Setup comes with a local model, such as Qwen 3.8 27B, that NVIDIA says is post-trained for Perplexity Computer and optimised for RTX GPUs.[1]
The post also lists connectors for Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and GitHub, alongside Computer's built-in browser and a proprietary sandbox called SPACE. Its examples include sorting open pull requests on GitHub, tracing fees across two years of brokerage statements and finding where new sign-ups drop off in a product funnel.[1]
Local first, with a permission step before the cloud
The privacy claim is specific. NVIDIA says sensitive information stays on the device, and that work completed locally does not consume Perplexity Computer credits. That second point implies the cloud version is metered by credits, although the post does not explain how credits are sold or what they cost.[1]
Local does not mean offline for every task. Portable Computer can judge that a job needs cloud models for deeper research or reasoning, and NVIDIA says it asks the user for permission before sending information off the device. Several listed connectors, such as Gmail, OneDrive and Google Drive, are cloud services themselves, so some of what the agent reads may already sit outside the PC.[1]
The 24GB memory floor decides who can use it
The requirement is strict: a GeForce RTX or RTX PRO GPU with 24GB or more of video memory. Support for NVIDIA's DGX Station is expected soon, with no date, and the post offers no route for smaller cards.[1]
On NVIDIA's own GeForce comparison page, the RTX 5090 is the only RTX 50 Series desktop card listed above 16GB, at 32GB. From earlier generations, the RTX 4090, RTX 3090 Ti and RTX 3090 list 24GB. Workstation buyers have more room, but not unlimited room: NVIDIA's RTX PRO Blackwell desktop range runs from 96GB down to 16GB on the RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell.[2][3]
Why Malaysia should care
The post names no country, price or plan, and never mentions Malaysia. The practical test for Malaysian users is the hardware already on the desk. Offices that bought mid-range RTX machines for design or accounting will mostly find them below the 24GB floor, while studios and engineering teams on an RTX 4090, RTX 5090 or a larger RTX PRO card can try it. The Perplexity app itself is listed as free in the Microsoft Store's Malaysian market.
SME owners who handle client or finance files
Local processing keeps sensitive documents on the machine by default, with a prompt before any cloud step.[1]
Practical move: Decide in writing which folders an agent may read before anyone installs it on a company PC.
Engineering and product teams
GitHub and Slack connectors let it review pull requests and post findings.[1]
Practical move: Trial it on a non-production repository and check every proposed change before merging.
What Malaysians can do now
- Check your graphics card's memory before downloading anything. Below 24GB, the announcement gives no supported route.
- Treat the cloud permission prompt as a data decision. Approving it sends information off the device.
- Get Perplexity's plan and credit terms in writing before relying on it for company work.
What we still do not know
Hardware rules are public. Commercial terms are not.
- Whether Portable Computer on Windows needs a paid Perplexity subscription, and how Perplexity Computer credits are priced.
- Whether the feature is offered in Malaysia, since no country is named.
- When DGX Station support arrives, and whether cards below 24GB will ever be supported.
Sources
- 1.Perplexity Portable Computer Is Now Available on Windows, Powered by NVIDIA RTX NVIDIA, 14 September 2026
- 2.Compare Current and Previous GeForce Series of Graphics Cards NVIDIA
- 3.RTX PRO in Desktops | Built For Professionals NVIDIA
- 4.Perplexity AI - Download and install on Windows Microsoft Store
- 5.Asus Strix RTX 4090 operational Wikimedia Commons, 23 October 2022
- 6.Aravind Srinivas TC Day 3 Wikimedia Commons, 30 October 2024
- 7.Nvidia DGX Spark oblique view dllu Wikimedia Commons, 16 May 2026
