---
title: "Install and Use NVIDIA PAIR"
publisher: "nvidia"
type: "playbook"
updated: "2026-09-03T20:07:15.672Z"
description: "Run local AI requests through PAIR and route independent Ollama or LM Studio requests across compatible systems."
canonical: "https://build.nvidia.com/rtx/pair.md"
---

# Basic idea

NVIDIA Personal AI Router (PAIR) connects computers on your local network and
presents Ollama-compatible and OpenAI-compatible proxy endpoints to applications
and agents. It automatically routes each independent AI inference request to an
eligible computer according to engine availability, model availability, and
current workload.
Run PAIR on one computer for local inference, or run it on several computers
to handle more requests.

PAIR is useful for workloads such as multi-agent applications that make several
requests at once. PAIR is designed to keep prompts and responses on your local
network when the application, model source, engine, and paired computers are
all local.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> PAIR sends each request to one system. It does not combine GPU memory, join
> GPUs into one larger GPU, or split a model or request across systems.

# What you'll accomplish

You'll install PAIR, prepare an engine and model, and send a test request
through PAIR's local endpoint.

You can also pair trusted systems and route independent requests to systems
that have the requested model.

# What to know before starting

**Required:**

- One compatible system on which to install PAIR.
- Ollama or LM Studio, plus a model, on at least one system that will serve
requests.
- A trusted local network when you pair systems. The six-digit PIN is a
short-lived setup code, not a long-term credential.

**Optional:**

- Two or more systems to route requests across a local cluster.
- A graphical desktop. Use the terminal interface on a headless system or over
SSH.

Use one PAIR interface at a time. Do not run the desktop application and the
terminal interface on the same system. They start competing services and can
conflict over ports, engines, and settings.

PAIR accepts requests only from the local system. Install PAIR on the system
where your application runs. That system can use an engine on another cluster
node, so it does not need its own GPU or inference engine.

Read the [PAIR security policy](https://github.com/NVIDIA/Personal-AI-Router/blob/main/SECURITY.md)
before you use PAIR on a shared or untrusted network.

# Supported hardware platforms

Use the matrix below to confirm your hardware platform, operating system,
memory, and whether you can use it in a PAIR cluster.

| Hardware platform | OS | Memory | Multi-node capable hardware |
| :---- | :---- | :---- | :---- |
| **DGX Spark** | DGX OS (Linux) | 128 GB Unified Memory | ✅ (PAIR cluster) |
| **NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series or newer; NVIDIA RTX PRO (Turing or newer)** | Windows 11 or Linux | Depends on the GPU and model | ✅ (PAIR cluster) |

DGX Spark, NVIDIA GeForce RTX, and NVIDIA RTX PRO are the hardware platforms
covered by this playbook.
PAIR can also pair compatible systems that run the supported operating systems
below.

| Support | Details |
| :---- | :---- |
| Operating systems | Windows 11, Linux, and macOS |
| Architectures | x64 and arm64 on all three operating systems. Windows on ARM is experimental. |
| Installers | Windows `.exe`, Linux `.deb`, and macOS `.dmg`. Build from source for other Linux distributions. |
| Mixing systems | Windows, Linux, and macOS systems can pair with each other. |
| Inference engines | Ollama and LM Studio |

Check the [PAIR releases page](https://github.com/NVIDIA/Personal-AI-Router/releases)
for a package for your operating system and architecture.

# Prerequisites

**Hardware requirements**

- One compatible system for local inference.
- Two or more compatible systems on the same trusted local network for cluster
routing.

**Software requirements**

- The appropriate PAIR package on each participating system.
- Ollama, LM Studio, or both, running on each system that will serve requests.
- A model downloaded on at least one system that will serve requests.

PAIR can run on a supported system even when an engine cannot. Each engine has
its own requirements for the operating system, GPU, and drivers. Each model
also needs enough memory to load. Check the engine documentation before you
expect a system to serve a model.

# Ancillary files

No extra files are required.

# Time & risk

- **Estimated time:** About 10 minutes, plus engine and model download time.
- **Risk level:** Low to medium. PAIR installs software, downloads models, and
enables communication between trusted local systems.
- **Rollback:** Remove paired systems, uninstall PAIR, and remove engines or
models you no longer need.
- **Last updated:** 08/17/2026.

For a graphical setup, open **Set Up the PAIR App**. For a headless or SSH
setup, open **Set up PAIR with Terminal**.

## More

- [Set Up the PAIR App](/rtx/pair/app-setup.md)
- [Set Up PAIR with Terminal](/rtx/pair/terminal-setup.md)
- [Troubleshooting](/rtx/pair/troubleshooting.md)