Parallels Desktop 27 is Launching Today With OpenGL 4.3 and AI Acceleration Support

Parallels Desktop 27, the latest version of the popular virtualization platform for Mac users, is launching today ahead of the release of macOS 27 next month. Parallels Desktop is still the only officially supported solution for running Windows 11 on Apple Silicon Macs, and the latest version introduces a new Metal-based graphics driver that improves compatibility with popular professional Windows applications.

“As customers continue to push the limits of what they do on Mac, they’re looking for virtualization that keeps pace with increasingly demanding applications and workflows,” said Elena Koryakina, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Parallels. “Parallels Desktop 27 enables customers to run more of the Windows applications they depend on while giving developers faster local AI performance and expanding what’s possible on Apple silicon.”

By enabling support for OpenGL 4.3, the new graphics driver on Parallels Desktop 27 makes it possible to run more demanding Windows apps such as ArcGIS Pro, ZWCAD, and Blender 4.3. The new driver also delivers up to 160% faster OpenGL graphics performance on Macs with M3 chips and newer

Thanks to the powerful NPUs and GPUs on Apple’s M-Series chips, Macs have become increasingly popular among developers for running AI workloads locally. Parallels Desktop 27 enables AI acceleration on Apple Silicon by supporting Scalable Matrix Extension (SME) instructions in Linux and Windows virtual machines running on M4 and newer Macs. Parallels promises “up to 7x faster AI and machine learning matrix operations,” and “up to 1.75x faster neural network inference.”

Just like macOS 27, which will drop support for all Intel-based Macs, Parallels Desktop 27 only supports Apple silicon Macs. The app is still available in Standard, Pro, Business, and Enterprise editions, and there is a 14-day free trial. The Standard Edition that supports 8GB of vRAM and 4 vCPUs is priced at $219.99 for the perpetual license. The subscription version, however, is available at $99.99 per year.