Apple has announced the Apple M2 Ultra Chip, a new system on a chip (SoC) designed for the Mac. The M2 Ultra is the largest and most powerful chip ever created by Apple, providing significant performance improvements for the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. It is built using a second-generation 5-nanometer process and incorporates Apple’s UltraFusion technology, which connects two M2 Max chips to double the performance.
The M2 Ultra features 134 billion transistors, 20 billion more than the previous M1 Ultra. It supports up to 192GB of memory capacity, a 50 percent increase over the M1 Ultra, and offers 800GB/s of memory bandwidth, twice that of the M2 Max. The CPU of the M2 Ultra is 20 percent faster than the M1 Ultra, the GPU is up to 30 percent faster, and the Neural Engine is up to 40 percent faster. Additionally, the M2 Ultra includes a media engine with double the capabilities of the M2 Max for accelerated ProRes processing.
Apple’s UltraFusion packaging architecture utilizes a silicon interposer to connect two M2 Max dies, providing over 2.5TB/s of low-latency interprocessor bandwidth. This enables the M2 Ultra to function as a single chip to software, eliminating the need to rewrite code to leverage its performance.
Apple M2 GPU can be configured with either 60 or 76 next-generation cores, offering up to a 30 percent improvement over the GPU of the M1 Ultra.
Apple M2 Ultra Processor
The 24-core CPU of the M2 Ultra consists of 16 high-performance cores and eight high-efficiency cores, delivering up to 20 percent faster performance than the M1 Ultra. The unified memory architecture of the M2 Ultra provides 800GB/s of system memory bandwidth and can be configured with up to 192GB of unified memory.
The M2 Ultra integrates advanced custom technologies, including a 32-core Neural Engine that performs 31.6 trillion operations per second (40 percent faster than the M1 Ultra). The media engine has double the capabilities of the M2 Max and supports hardware-enabled encoding and decoding of H.264, HEVC, and ProRes formats. The M2 Ultra’s display engine can drive up to six Pro Display XDRs, supporting over 100 million pixels.
In terms of environmental responsibility, the M2 Ultra offers power-efficient performance while maintaining Apple’s(see latest Apple Macbook Air 15) commitment to sustainability. Apple aims to achieve net-zero climate impact by 2030, making all its chips, from design to manufacturing, 100 percent carbon neutral.
With the introduction of the M2 Ultra, Apple completes its transition to Apple silicon, marking a new era for the Mac and revolutionizing the laptop and desktop experience with continued innovation in Apple silicon.
