Apple announced its first 2nm processor, the M6, alongside a new M5 Ultra chip designed for heavy artificial intelligence workloads and 3D rendering, TechCrunch reported.
The M6 features a 12-core CPU consisting of two super cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores, up from 10 total CPU cores in the M5. Apple stated the chip provides the world's fastest single-threaded performance and up to 1.2 times faster multithreaded performance than its predecessor. A 12-core GPU incorporates a Neural Accelerator within each core, while a Dual 16-core Neural Engine handles on-device AI tasks. The chip supports up to 32GB of unified memory.
The M5 Ultra links two dual-die M5 Max chips into a single quad-die architecture using Apple's UltraFusion interconnect technology. Apple described the design as its most powerful chip ever, built for running frontier AI models and 3D rendering tasks. The configuration supports up to a 36-core CPU with 12 super cores and 24 performance cores, an up to 80-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. It accommodates up to 512GB of high-bandwidth unified memory, which cannot be upgraded after purchase.
Both chips will launch across Apple's desktop lineup, with the M6 arriving in a new Mac Mini and the M5 Ultra powering a refreshed Mac Studio. Preorders for both machines open Tuesday ahead of an official release on September 22nd.
