Business · 1 November 2026

Darkbloom warns low GPU rental payouts as token prices plunge

Darkbloom’s network of roughly 800 macOS participants earns a few cents to a few dollars daily from AI inference jobs via OpenRouter. The company estimates a fully utilized Mac mini with an M5 Pro could earn $192 per month on the Qwen3.6 35B A3B model, while median earnings are $5.26 per day.

Benchmarks are the company's own; not independently verified.

Why it matters

Potential $192 monthly earnings on a Mac mini suggest users expect modest compensation; evaluate incentive structures for GPU rental services.

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