Perplexity has launched Hybrid Compute for its agentic platform, Computer, enabling AI agents to split tasks between cloud-based frontier models and local, open-weight models on Apple silicon Macs. This innovation allows sensitive data to remain on the user's device, fulfilling a critical need for confidentiality in AI tasks. The system acts as a dispatcher, routing heavy reasoning to the cloud while delegating tasks involving private files or local data to a sub-agent on the Mac. A key component is the "Privacy Gate," a classifier that identifies personally identifiable information before it's sent to the cloud, giving users control over data sharing. This hybrid approach offers both the intelligence of frontier models and the security of local processing, a combination vital for professionals in fields like law and finance. Demonstrations showcased scenarios where lawyers worked with privileged case files and private equity associates analyzed confidential financial models without exposing sensitive data. The feature is available on macOS 15 and later for opt-in enterprise customers and Perplexity Pro/Max subscribers. While open-weight models from various developers are supported, including those from China, Perplexity emphasizes that local inference neutralizes geopolitical risks as data never leaves the device. Enterprise admins can enforce organization-wide sensitivity policies and audit data egress, addressing compliance concerns. Perplexity's hybrid model aims to solve the enterprise challenge of leveraging AI without compromising data privacy and security.