Apple has introduced the M3 Ultra, a new chip that promises to deliver unprecedented performance for Mac users. This latest development in Apple silicon boasts the most powerful CPU and GPU ever integrated into a Mac, alongside double the Neural Engine cores and unmatched unified memory in a personal computer.
The M3 Ultra is constructed using Apple's UltraFusion packaging architecture, which connects two M3 Max dies through over 10,000 high-speed connections. This design enables the system to function as a single, unified chip with substantial performance capabilities while maintaining energy efficiency. The architecture includes 184 billion transistors, enhancing the capabilities of the new Mac Studio.
"M3 Ultra is the pinnacle of our scalable system-on-a-chip architecture, aimed specifically at users who run the most heavily threaded and bandwidth-intensive applications," stated Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies. He highlighted features such as its 32-core CPU and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
The M3 Ultra offers up to a 32-core CPU with both performance and efficiency cores, providing significant performance improvements over its predecessors—the M2 Ultra and M1 Ultra. It also includes an expansive GPU with up to 80 graphics cores.
Advanced graphics architecture within the chip supports dynamic caching along with hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. A robust 32-core Neural Engine enhances AI and machine learning tasks on devices equipped with this chip.
AI professionals will find value in running large language models directly on devices powered by M3 Ultra due to its impressive memory bandwidth exceeding 800GB/s. The unified memory starts at 96GB but can be expanded up to 512GB.
M3 Ultra integrates Thunderbolt 5 technology for enhanced data transfer speeds—more than twice that of Thunderbolt 4—and allows multiple systems connection for advanced workflows. Each port benefits from dedicated bandwidth via custom-designed controllers embedded within the chip itself.
Apple's custom-built technologies contribute significantly towards maximizing both performance and efficiency across various demanding workloads including video processing where it supports numerous streams simultaneously thanks to dedicated media engines.
In addition to technological advancements focused on user experience enhancements like display support or security measures facilitated by Secure Enclave integration; Apple continues working towards environmental sustainability goals aiming at carbon neutrality across operations globally by decade-end under their ambitious Apple 2030 initiative plan.
