Apple Intelligence Reportedly Consumes Over 30GB on Some macOS 27 Systems
Apple's macOS 27 Golden Gate automatically downloads Apple Intelligence AI models after installation, and users can no longer disable or prevent the download. Although Apple officially states that Apple Intelligence requires up to 14GB of storage on newer Macs and up to 8GB on older supported devices, real-world figures appear to be much higher. MacRumors measured more than 20GB of storage usage on an M4 Pro Mac mini, while Ars Technica reported over 22GB on an M3 MacBook Air. Some users have reported Apple Intelligence consuming between 24GB and 30GB of storage, significantly exceeding Apple's published requirements. The discrepancy appears even on older Macs that should theoretically require less storage for AI features. Apple has not explained why the storage category in macOS shows such large allocations or whether these figures represent actual AI model sizes. The issue is drawing criticism because Apple Intelligence remains optional to use, but its underlying AI models are now mandatory system components. As AI increasingly drives up hardware costs, the inability to reclaim this storage may frustrate Mac owners with limited disk space.