Apple has signed a third-party driver enabling AMD and Nvidia eGPUs to function on Apple Silicon Macs, but with a major limitation: these external graphics cards won't accelerate video output to external monitors. The driver, created by Tiny Corp, is specifically designed for AI research rather than gaming or general graphics acceleration.

This marks a significant shift from Apple's previous stance. When Apple introduced eGPU support with AMD Radeon cards in 2016, it was a boon for creative professionals. However, Apple has long blocked Nvidia GPUs from macOS, a feud that continued even after the transition to Apple Silicon. The new driver approval represents Apple's first acknowledgment that external GPUs have value beyond traditional graphics acceleration.

For AI researchers, this development is meaningful. The driver allows external GPUs to handle machine learning tasks more efficiently than Apple's integrated Neural Engine, enabling faster model training and large language model development. Importantly, Apple's approval means researchers can use the driver without disabling System Integrity Protection, making the setup more secure than previous workarounds. While this isn't the full eGPU support many Mac users hoped for, it's a pragmatic acknowledgment that external GPUs have legitimate uses beyond what Apple's silicon can provide.