After installing macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple automatically downloads a multi‑gigabyte AI model to Macs the next time they connect to the internet, and users cannot prevent it. Siri AI, and by extension Apple Intelligence, are now a mandatory part of the system, and on some machines the on‑device models are consuming far more storage than Apple’s published figures suggest.
Apple says the latest Apple Intelligence features require up to 14GB of on‑device storage on Macs with an M3 chip or later and at least 12GB of unified memory, and up to 8GB of storage for other Apple Intelligence‑enabled Macs. In practice, however, observed allocations can be substantially higher on some systems.
For example, an M4 Pro Mac mini running macOS 27 showed 20.67GB allocated to Apple Intelligence in System Settings. An M3 MacBook Air on a fresh installation of macOS 27.0 beta 7 displayed 22.42GB. Both of those machines will be using Apple’s AFM 3 Core Advanced on‑device model, which requires an M3‑or‑newer Mac with 12GB or more of RAM.
That does not explain why machines that do not meet the stated minimums are also losing larger amounts of storage. The same System Settings screen showed about 14GB on an M1 MacBook Air and on a MacBook Neo, while Apple’s support document lists up to 8GB for models in that category. Other users have reported even larger numbers: one screenshot from the macOS 27 Release Candidate showed Apple Intelligence using 30.16GB, and another user reported 24.35GB on a MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip.
Apple Intelligence storage allocations
Apple’s support document lists the following maximum on‑device storage figures:
• iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo: Up to 14GB
• iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air: Up to 14GB
• Other compatible iPhones (iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17e): Up to 8GB
• iPad with M4 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory; Mac with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory; Apple Vision Pro (M5): Up to 14GB
• Other compatible iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro models: Up to 8GB
• Compatible Apple Watch models: Up to 1.5GB on the watch
• iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, iPhone 14 and earlier, and iPhone SE: Not supported
The support document does not clarify whether its “up to 14GB” figures are directly comparable with the Apple Intelligence “Storage” category shown in System Settings, or why some Macs display substantially higher numbers. By contrast, similar ballooning has not been observed on iPhones and iPads running iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.
While using Apple Intelligence is optional, downloading its on‑device models is not: Apple removed the toggle to disable Apple Intelligence, so users must allocate disk space for the models. If you want to check your Mac, open System Settings ➝ General ➝ Storage and click the information button beside macOS to see the Apple Intelligence storage reading.
