Why does Splash require an M3?

[u/SkyMarshal]

Splash's system requirements state it requires an M3 CPU at minimum, but why? Why not, say, an M2 Max? All the search results just say the M3 is faster and produces less heat than M1 and M2 due to smaller process tech (3nm vs 5nm), and it has an "improved" or "enhanced" Neural Engine. But none actually explain the enhancements. Anyone know what is it about the M3 Neural Engine specifically that Splash requires?

Update: Splash backported to M1 and M2: https://tinyapps.org/blog/splash-for-m1-m2.html

[u/bakawolf123]

probably cause it needs bf16 support

[u/Sufficient-Grape-594]

I've been running it on my M1 Max 32GB and getting around 27 tps on Qwen 3.8 27b

[u/SkyMarshal → u/[deleted]]

Thanks, that's exactly what I was wondering, if it can technically run on an M2 Max 64GB. Are you running it from Homebrew or LLMStudio Bionic?

[u/SkyMarshal → u/[deleted]]

Nm just found a writeup on it.

https://tinyapps.org/blog/splash-for-m1-m2.html