Apple has unveiled the M3 Ultra processor, the company’s most powerful chip to date. Designed for Mac models, the M3 Ultra features the most advanced CPU and GPU ever used in a Mac. With a 32-core CPU, an 80-core GPU, and twice as many Neural Engine cores, it is optimized for AI-powered workflows.
What does the Apple M3 Ultra offer?
The M3 Ultra supports the highest unified memory capacity ever seen in personal computers. With Thunderbolt 5 technology, it provides more than twice the bandwidth per port, enabling faster connectivity and enhanced expansion options.
Apple developed the M3 Ultra using its UltraFusion architecture, which combines two M3 Max chips. This design features 10,000 high-speed interconnects that ensure low latency and high bandwidth, allowing the system to treat the two chips as a single unit.
With a total of 184 billion transistors, the M3 Ultra takes the performance of the new Mac Studio to the highest level. According to Apple, this chip delivers up to 2.6 times the performance of the M1 Ultra.
The M3 Ultra offers the highest performance among all Mac chips while maintaining energy efficiency. With 24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores, its CPU is up to 1.5 times faster than the M2 Ultra and 1.8 times faster than the M1 Ultra.
The 80-core GPU improves graphics performance with dynamic memory allocation, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and ray tracing technologies. The 32-core Neural Engine is optimized for AI-based tasks such as large language models (LLMs), allowing the M3 Ultra to process models with over 600 billion parameters directly on the Mac Studio.
Apple has also significantly enhanced the M3 Ultra’s unified memory architecture. Starting at 96 GB, the memory can be configured up to 512 GB. This enables professionals working in 3D modeling, visual effects, and AI-driven workflows to handle large-scale projects without limitations. The memory bandwidth exceeds 800 GBps, ensuring higher speeds and lower latency.
The M3 Ultra introduces Thunderbolt 5 technology to the Mac Studio. This new connection standard offers data transfer speeds of up to 120 Gbps, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 4. Each Thunderbolt 5 port is supported by a dedicated controller within the chip, ensuring efficient bandwidth distribution. Designed for professional users, Thunderbolt 5 enhances data transfer speeds for external storage solutions and expansion enclosures.
Apple has integrated advanced technological components into the M3 Ultra. The proprietary UltraFusion technology merges two M3 Max chips for high-speed signal transmission. The media engine supports hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding for H.264, HEVC, and ProRes, enabling playback of up to 22 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video.
With support for up to eight Pro Display XDR connections, the M3 Ultra can handle more than 160 million pixels. In terms of security, the Secure Enclave provides advanced protection with hardware-based secure boot and runtime security measures.
Apple highlights the M3 Ultra’s energy efficiency, contributing to an environmentally friendly design. Reduced power consumption enhances overall efficiency, minimizing the environmental impact of the Mac Studio. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality across all operations by 2030, Apple continues to optimize energy consumption with next-generation chips like the M3 Ultra.
