The race to bring powerful artificial intelligence directly into our homes is heating up, and the latest contender isn't a server rack or a bulky tower. It’s a mini PC. Enter Olares, a ambitious startup that has thrown its hat into the ring with the Olares One, a compact powerhouse designed to be your personal AI cloud, powered by some of the most anticipated hardware on the planet.
The device, set to debut on Kickstarter in the coming months, promises to leverage an Nvidia RTX 5090 Mobile GPU and a top-tier Intel CPU to handle AI workloads typically reserved for remote data centers. While final pricing and a firm availability date remain under wraps, the mere announcement has sent ripples through the tech community.
A Spec Sheet That Demands a Double-Take
Let's address the elephant in the room: the hardware. The Olares One is unapologetically built for performance, placing it on the heftier end of the mini PC spectrum. At its heart beats the 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, a processor configured with 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores. In early synthetic benchmarks, this chip reportedly goes toe-to-toe with AMD's formidable Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, suggesting that raw computational power will not be a bottleneck.
But the true star of the show is the graphics card. Olares is betting big on the unannounced but highly anticipated Nvidia RTX 5090 Mobile GPU, slated to come with 24 GB of next-generation GDDR7 memory. This GPU is expected to be an "incredibly speedy unit," capable of driving complex AI model inference and training at speeds previously inaccessible in a device of this size.
However, this power comes with a caveat that AI enthusiasts will immediately recognize. As highlighted in a detailed report from TechPowerUp, the 24 GB of VRAM, while substantial, may heavily limit the number of larger AI models that can be accommodated locally. Users looking to run the biggest and most advanced models may have to either ignore them entirely or settle for quantized (reduced precision) versions to fit within the memory constraints.
Taming the Beast: Cooling and Connectivity
Packing this much performance into a small chassis creates a significant thermal challenge. Olares claims to have solved this with a sophisticated cooling solution centered around a vapor chamber paired with dual fans. The company promises quiet operation even when the system is at full tilt, with the CPU and GPU drawing 55 and 175 watts, respectively.
Given its primary focus as a dedicated AI appliance rather than a traditional desktop, the I/O selection on the Olares One is surprisingly sparse. The connectivity includes:
- An HDMI 2.1 port
- A Thunderbolt 5 port (offering immense bandwidth for future peripherals)
- 2.5G Ethernet for fast network access
- A single USB-A port
This minimalistic approach underscores the device's specialized nature.
The Software: Where the Magic Happens
Hardware is only half the story. The Olares One will ship with a custom operating system, aptly named Olares OS. This software environment is designed to be the gateway to its AI functionalities, bundling a suite of built-in tools, AI-focused applications, and access to a repository of community-made software. The goal is to create a seamless, plug-and-play experience for AI development and deployment.
For purists or those with specific workflow needs, the underlying hardware is standard x86 architecture. This means users should, in theory, be able to wipe Olares OS and install Windows, Linux, or any other compatible operating system with relative ease. The success of the native ecosystem, however, will depend on developer adoption and real-world performance, which remains to be seen.
The Olares One is confirmed for a Kickstarter campaign launching soon and will also be showcased at CES 2026, giving the public a first hands-on look.
A Crowded Field of Alternatives
For those intrigued by the concept of a personal AI machine but who may have different priorities, the market is already evolving. If you're looking for an alternative with a potentially smaller physical footprint, more memory, and are willing to trade some raw performance for efficiency, the Strix Halo-powered GMKtec Evo-X2 mini PC (currently listed at $2,199 on Amazon) might be a decent choice to consider.
The Olares One represents a fascinating and bold step towards the democratization of AI power. By attempting to condense cloud-level performance into a desktop-friendly form factor, Olares isn't just selling a mini PC—it's selling a vision of a more personal and private AI future. Whether it can deliver on that promise will be one of the most compelling tech stories to watch in the coming year.
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