On Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:25:59 +1200, I wrote:
Are there that many Linux-specific AI apps?
It appears there are:
Making matters worse, most "cutting-edge" AI applications are typically optimized for Linux, making it even harder for Windows users to get these apps up and running in Windows (if at all).
There have been other developments, such as NVidia’s ARM-based DGX Spark <https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/nvidia-sells-tiny-new-computer-that-puts-big-ai-on-your-desktop/>, which is a high-spec, Linux-only “AI workstation” (with a high price to match). This seems to part of a trend: Huawei earlier announced its own AI-oriented mini PC <https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/orange-pi-ai-studio-pro-mini-pc-debuts-with-huawei-ascend-310-and-352-tops-of-ai-performance-also-features-up-to-192gb-of-memory-but-relies-on-a-single-usb-c-port>, which seems quite firmly targeted at Linux use, “with Windows support expected in the near future”. And more recently, we have this new introduction from Minisforum <https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/mini-pcs/minisforum-launches-its-first-arm-based-mini-pc-with-a-full-x16-pcie-slot-for-discrete-gpus-the-ms-r1-packs-a-12-core-cixin-p1-soc-with-up-to-64-gb-of-ram-and-generous-io-starting-at-usd500>, also ARM-based and targeted at Linux. This time, their publicity doesn’t bother to mention any option for Windows support at all. Just to remove any doubt, I found this on their website <https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-ms-r1-workstation>: MS-R1 comes with the ARM-based CP8180 CPU and true UEFI BIOS support - just plug it in, power on, and dive straight into Linux, VMs, or containers. Just write the ISO to a USB drive, install, and jump straight into Linux, VMs, or containers. *For the best experience, please use the official OS image until the driver is merged into the main branch.