Apple unveiled the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which combine two dies into a single system on a chip using a new “Fusion Architecture.”
The new chips are designed to power the latest MacBook Pro, offering significant increases in AI compute and graphics performance for professional workflows. The release marks the latest iteration of Apple’s silicon for high-end laptops.
The M5 Pro and M5 Max feature an 18-core CPU composed of six “super cores” and 12 “performance cores.” Apple stated these changes improve performance by up to 30 percent for pro workloads.
The GPU contains up to 40 cores, with each core featuring a Neural Accelerator. According to the company, the chips offer over 4x the peak GPU compute for AI compared to the previous generation.
Graphics performance is boosted by up to 35 percent for applications using ray tracing compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Max. The chips also include higher unified memory bandwidth to support increased AI capabilities.
The M5 Pro and M5 Max will first power the new MacBook Pro. The new laptop is available for pre-order starting March 4 and will arrive on March 11.
Apple stated the new chips provide an advanced GPU with Neural Accelerators and higher unified memory bandwidth. The base M5 chip will power the new MacBook Air.
