M3 Ultra Chip: Apple’s 80 Graphics and 32 CPU Cores Ready to Take On the World!
Apple presented its third-generation M3 silicon at its Scary Fast event in October. It follows the M2 lineup and the M1 lineup before it. The M3 lineup currently consists of the base M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chipsets, and Apple in particular has decided to hold off on the alleged M3 Ultra until later — possibly for a high-end machine like the Mac Pro. However, Mark Gurman has predicted new information about the said chipset, which is expected sometime in 2024.
Gurman claims that the said M3 Ultra could have 80 GPU cores and around 32 CPU cores, effectively doubling the number of cores of the M3 Max.
For the uninitiated, Apple typically offers four versions of its M-series chips – a base version, a “Pro” version, a “Max” version, and then an “Ultra” model. This was the case in the M1 configuration and also in the M2 configuration.
Gurman explains that the M2 Pro chipset had 12 CPU cores and 19 graphics cores, and then the M2 Max had 24 CPU cores and 38 graphics cores, and then the top-of-the-line M2 Ultra doubled that to 24 CPU cores and 76 graphics cores.
But notably, Apple decided to shake things up with the M3 lineup, and now the M3 Max not only doubles the number of graphics cores compared to the M3 Pro, but also gets more processor cores. So if we continue to play the doubling game that Apple plays, the upcoming M3 Ultra could end up with 32 CPU cores and an insane 80 GPUs, as the M3 Max already ships with 16 CPU cores and 40 graphics cores. At the same time, if Apple decides to boost the memory configuration as well, users can get up to 256 GB of RAM.
The report adds that more should be revealed when Apple begins testing the said chipset as it prepares it for release “sometime next year.”
