Amazon Web Services (AWS) has officially launched its fleet of new Mac Minis, now equipped with Apple’s high-performance M2 Pro chips. This latest addition to the AWS EC2 platform provides customers with the choice between Intel Core i7 x86 CPUs, Apple’s M1, and the new M2 Pro SoCs.
AWS envisions its customers using these Mac Minis for various tasks, including building, testing, packaging, and signing applications designed for Apple hardware such as Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.
The M2 Pro-powered Mac Minis available on AWS EC2 offer impressive performance capabilities. Each unit boasts a 12-core CPU, a 19-core GPU, 32GB of memory, and a 16-core Apple Neural Engine. Additionally, these Mac Minis support high-speed Thunderbolt connections, providing up to 10 Gbps of Amazon VPC network bandwidth and up to 8 Gbps of Amazon EBS storage bandwidth.
The equivalent configuration of these Mac Minis would cost customers at least $1,999 if purchased directly from the Apple website, making the option to rent them from AWS particularly appealing.
While AWS’s choice to feature the M2 Pro chips instead of the cheaper M2 chips is not explicitly explained, it’s worth noting that currently, only the Pro versions are available.
Developers renting these Mac Minis from AWS can currently utilize macOS Ventura for their work. An AWS spokesperson confirmed that AWS continuously updates its EC2 macOS AMIs to include the latest Apple silicon chips, ensuring that users have access to a wide range of macOS environments.
The M2 Pro Mac Minis are now available for rental through AWS, but it’s important to note that, due to Apple’s licensing terms, customers must commit to 24-hour periods. Pricing starts at $37.44 per day, as reported by The Register. Initially, these Mac Minis will be accessible in the US West (Oregon) and US East (Ohio) regions, with plans to expand to more locations in the near future.
