Apple’s Private Cloud Compute Is Severely Limited for Third-Party Developers

From Apple’s Developer site: To ensure getting started with a large cloud model is as accessible as possible, developers in the App Store Small Business Program with fewer than two million first time App Store downloads will be able to use Apple Foundation Models running on Private Cloud Compute (PCC) with no cloud API cost. The model provides access to frontier level intelligence with unparalleled privacy protections. This makes it easy for small developers to get started building intelligent app experiences without upfront infrastructure costs. Eligibility requirements Access to PCC is available to developers who meet the following criteria: Are enrolled in the App Store Small Business Program . Have fewer than 2 million first-time app downloads from any of their apps on the App Store. Have the Private Cloud Compute entitlement assigned to their account . Where Apple Intelligence is available, eligible developers can use PCC in their apps distributed on the App Store, and test PCC features via TestFlight or ad hoc distribution. Installs during testing are not counted as first-time app downloads. If any app subsequently exceeds the 2 million first-time downloads threshold, or the developer is no longer enrolled in the App Store Small Business Program, the developer will be notified and must migrate to an alternative solution within 6 months. Information about first-time downloads is available in Analytics in App Store Connect . These strict limits don’t seem to be getting as much attention as they should.