'M2 Ultra' Chip Headed to Next-Generation Mac Pro
Apple is working on a new base model Mac Pro with an "M2 Ultra" chip, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The Mac Pro is one of the last Intel-based Mac models still on sale, and a version with Apple silicon has now been anticipated for over two years. At its "Peek Performance" event earlier this year, Apple even teased the launch of the Apple silicon Mac Pro, saying "that's for another day."
The M2 Ultra chip option will purportedly be offered alongside a high-end Mac Pro configuration with an "M2 Extreme" chip. At present, the M1 Ultra is Apple's most powerful custom silicon chip available, featuring a 20-core CPU and up to a 64-core GPU, along with a 32-core Neural Engine. Sitting above the Ultra in the chip lineup, the M2 Extreme would presumably surpass these specs to become the top-tier Apple silicon chip for maximum performance.
Gurman previously said that Apple was planning to use a custom silicon chip with 40 CPU cores, including 32 high-performance cores, and up to 128 GPU cores for the Mac Pro. This would surpass the 28 core maximum offered by the current Intel-based Mac Pro and replace its the powerful graphics chips made by AMD.
These specifications effectively double the capabilities of the M1 Ultra, but if it is based on the more advanced architecture behind the current M2 chip, there could be a range of other advancements in terms of core technologies, efficiency, and clock speed.
According to his latest newsletter, the new Mac Pro may not emerge until 2023. For more information about the new Mac Pro, see our detailed guide or our 2022 Mac Pro configuration breakdown.
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