Can M4 Max run Snowflake Arctic Embed S?

Yes — runs locally

~102 tok/sec · Instant — feels like typing. No noticeable delay.

Your VRAM

128 GB

Model size

0.033B

Best quant

Q8_0

VRAM needed

0.1 GB

The verdict

The M4 Max (128 GB VRAM) handles Snowflake Arctic Embed S comfortably using the Q8_0 quantization, which fits in 0.1 GB. Expected throughput is around 102 tokens/second, which feels Instant — feels like typing. No noticeable delay. in interactive use. Compact embedding model from Snowflake. Good multilingual support.

How to run it

1. Install Ollama or LM Studio.
2. Pull the Q8_0 GGUF — best balance of quality and speed on 128 GB.
3. Start chatting. Expect ~102 tok/sec on first-token, faster after warmup.

See full Snowflake Arctic Embed S setup →

Other models that run great on M4 Max

FAQ (20)

What GPU do I need to run Snowflake Arctic Embed S?

Snowflake Arctic Embed S requires a GPU with at least 0.1 GB of VRAM, depending on the quantization level used.

Is Snowflake Arctic Embed S good for coding?

While Snowflake Arctic Embed S is primarily an embedding model, it can be useful for generating code embeddings but may not be as specialized for coding tasks as models designed specifically for that purpose.

Snowflake Arctic Embed S vs Llama 3.1 8B?

Snowflake Arctic Embed S has only 0.033 billion parameters, making it much smaller and more lightweight compared to Llama 3.1 8B, which has 8 billion parameters. This makes Snowflake Arctic Embed S easier to run on lower-end hardware.

Can I run Snowflake Arctic Embed S on a Mac?

Yes, you can run Snowflake Arctic Embed S on a Mac, provided your Mac has a compatible GPU with at least 0.1 GB of VRAM or sufficient CPU resources.

How much VRAM does Snowflake Arctic Embed S need?

Snowflake Arctic Embed S requires 0.1 GB of VRAM, depending on the quantization level used.

Is Snowflake Arctic Embed S censored?

Snowflake Arctic Embed S is not explicitly censored, but it adheres to the Apache-2.0 license, which generally ensures open and permissive use.

Is Snowflake Arctic Embed S commercial-use allowed?

Yes, Snowflake Arctic Embed S is licensed under Apache-2.0, which allows for commercial use without restrictions.

Snowflake Arctic Embed S context length?

The context length for Snowflake Arctic Embed S is 512 tokens.

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