Amp equips AI Agent with cloud-based Mac: 30-second startup, self-compiles and tests iOS apps

Beating AI News Flash: AI programming tool Amp launches macOS Satellites, allowing AI Agents originally running in Linux cloud environments to call a Mac on demand to automatically compile, run, and test iOS and macOS applications.

The cloud Mac comes preinstalled with Xcode and simulators, and the official claim is that it can start in about 30 seconds. The Agent continues modifying code on Linux and only calls the Mac when compilation and testing are needed. Test screens, logs, and screen recordings are sent back to Amp, and users can also directly take over the Mac desktop to operate the application themselves.

Amp previously tried running the entire Agent on a Mac, but starting Docker and backend services took several minutes, and reserving Mac disk for each task was also too expensive. Now it has switched to a division of labor between two machines: Linux handles daily development, and the Mac only handles tasks that must depend on macOS.

The cloud Mac offers two configurations: 6-core CPU and 14GB memory for $2 per hour; 12-core and 28GB for $4 per hour. After a task ends, the Mac is retained for another 20 minutes to make it easier to continue using the compilation cache, and billing still continues based on runtime during that period, after which it is automatically destroyed. The feature is currently in Beta and requires joining a waitlist.