Perplexity is bringing its local-first AI agent to a new class of PCs. The company has announced that Portable Computer now works on Windows systems powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max Series processors, including AMD’s Ryzen AI Halo developer platform.

The expansion gives AMD-powered PCs another way to run Perplexity Computer-style tasks locally instead of sending every step to the cloud. For users working with sensitive files, recurring workflows, or large batches of local data, that distinction could be particularly useful.

Portable Computer is Perplexity’s local version of Computer, its AI agent designed to handle multistep tasks rather than simply answer questions. It can work with local files, connected applications and scheduled workflows, while still being able to call cloud-based models when a task requires more advanced reasoning or current information.

The AMD release is built around Ryzen AI Max Series processors, which combine CPU and GPU resources with a large shared memory pool. Perplexity says supported systems need at least 24GB of GPU-accessible memory, while the software requires Windows 10 or Windows 11 and around 20GB of free storage for the initial setup.

That hardware requirement is important because Portable Computer isn’t simply another chatbot running in a browser. Its local setup includes the agent harness, orchestrator, sandbox, sensitive-content classifier and an on-device AI model. Perplexity currently lists PPLX 27B and Qwen 3.8 27B among the models available for local inference on supported systems.

Once configured, users can give Portable access to specific folders and connected applications. The agent can then perform tasks against that local data without automatically uploading everything to Perplexity’s servers.

For example, Perplexity describes workflows such as reconciling locally stored invoices against contract rate sheets, reviewing a folder of vendor contracts for missing clauses, or going through GitHub pull requests and preparing a summary. Scheduled tasks can also run repeatedly while the application is open and the PC is awake.

The local approach also changes how Perplexity’s usage model works. Perplexity says local inference does not consume Computer credits, meaning routine processing can be performed on the user’s own hardware without using credits for every run. If a task needs web access or more capable reasoning, Portable can escalate that portion to the cloud with the user’s permission.

That hybrid approach is arguably the more interesting part of the system. Local AI handles work that can stay on the PC, while cloud models remain available for jobs that require frontier-scale reasoning or up-to-date information. Perplexity says Portable can access Perplexity Search and more than 15 cloud models when necessary, with permission required before information leaves the device.

Perplexity has also built privacy controls into the workflow. Portable’s on-device classifier checks content for potentially sensitive information such as names, account numbers and credentials before it is sent to the cloud. If something is flagged, the user can choose whether to allow the information to leave the machine, keep the task local, or stop the operation.

The AMD launch also broadens the hardware options for Portable Computer. The service first arrived as a local AI system for Nvidia hardware, and Perplexity subsequently brought it to supported Windows PCs with NVIDIA GPUs. The company’s latest expansion means Ryzen AI Max systems can now join that local-agent ecosystem without requiring a discrete NVIDIA GPU.

For AMD, the move is another example of the company’s push to position Ryzen AI hardware as a platform for running AI agents locally. AMD says Ryzen AI Max systems can run Portable Computer directly on Windows, allowing users to combine local AI workloads with their everyday applications.

Portable Computer on AMD Ryzen AI Max Series processors is available now to Perplexity Pro and Max subscribers on individual and enterprise plans through the Perplexity Windows app. Supported hardware includes the AMD Ryzen AI Halo developer platform and systems using Ryzen AI Max processors with at least 24GB of GPU-accessible memory.

For the growing category of AI PCs, this is a meaningful shift in what “AI on your PC” can actually mean. Instead of simply accelerating features inside individual applications, hardware like Ryzen AI Max is increasingly being used to run agents that can work across files, apps and recurring workflows. The interesting question now is how many everyday tasks users will eventually choose to hand over to an agent running on the machine sitting on their desk.