Technology
Parallels Desktop 27 brings OpenGL 4.3 and AI acceleration to Apple Silicon
The virtualization software update introduces a new Metal-based graphics driver and support for Scalable Matrix Extension instructions.
The short version
- Parallels has released Parallels Desktop 27, introducing hardware-accelerated OpenGL 4.3 support for Windows virtual machines on Apple Silicon.
- The update is aimed at improving graphics performance for professional Windows software and accelerating local AI development.
- Enterprise-tier features have also been expanded with new command-line interface capabilities and improved deployment options.
Key facts
- Parallels Desktop 27 includes a new Metal-based graphics driver that provides hardware-accelerated OpenGL 4.3 support for Windows virtual machines running on Apple Silicon.[9to5Mac]
- The addition of OpenGL 4.3 support allows professional Windows applications such as ArcGIS Pro, ZWCAD, and Blender 4.3 to operate within macOS virtualized environments.[9to5Mac]
- Parallels claims the update offers up to 160% faster OpenGL graphics performance on M3 and newer Macs, alongside up to 35% faster 3D rendering in ArcGIS Pro.[9to5Mac]
- The update introduces support for Scalable Matrix Extension (SME2) instructions for Linux and Windows virtual machines on M4 and newer Macs, which Parallels reports leads to up to 7x faster AI and machine learning matrix operations.[9to5Mac]
- The Enterprise edition adds command-line interface capabilities for license verification, supports distributing VM images via Azure Blob Storage and SharePoint, and renews its SOC 2 compliance.[9to5Mac]