Mac transition to Apple silicon |
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Apple silicon is a series ofsystem on a chip (SoC) andsystem in a package (SiP) processors designed byApple Inc., mainly using theARM architecture. They are the basis ofMac,iPhone,iPad,Apple TV,Apple Watch,AirPods,AirTag,HomePod, andApple Vision Pro devices.
Apple announced its plan toswitch Mac computers from Intel processors to Apple silicon atWWDC 2020 on June 22, 2020.[1][2] The first Macs built with theApple M1 chip were unveiled on November 10, 2020. As of March 2025, the entire Mac lineup uses Apple chips.
Apple fully controls the integration of Apple silicon in the company's hardware and software products.Johny Srouji, the senior vice president for Apple's hardware technologies is in charge of the silicon design.[3] Manufacturing of the chips is outsourced to semiconductor contract manufacturers such asTSMC.
TheA series is a family ofSoCs used in theiPhone, certainiPad models, and theApple TV.A-series chips were also used in the discontinuediPod Touch line and the originalHomePod. They integrate one or moreARM-based processing cores (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU),cache memory and other electronics necessary to provide mobile computing functions within a single physical package.[4]
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TheApple A4 is aPoP SoC manufactured bySamsung, the first SoC Apple designed in-house.[5] It combines anARMCortex-A8 CPU – also used in Samsung's S5PC110A01 SoC[6][7] – and aPowerVR SGX 535graphics processor (GPU),[8][9][10] all built on Samsung's 45-nanometer silicon chip fabrication process.[11][12] The design emphasizes power efficiency.[13] The A4 commercially debuted in 2010, in Apple's iPadtablet,[8] and was later used in theiPhone 4 smartphone,[14] thefourth-generation iPod Touch, and the 2nd-generationApple TV.[15]
The Cortex-A8 core used in the A4, dubbedHummingbird, is thought to use performance improvements developed by Samsung in collaboration with chip designerIntrinsity, which was subsequently acquired by Apple[16][17] It can run at far higher clock rates than other Cortex-A8 designs yet remains fully compatible with the design provided by ARM.[18] The A4 runs at different speeds in different products: 1 GHz in the first iPads,[19] 800 MHz in the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod Touch, and an undisclosed speed in the 2nd-generation Apple TV.
The A4's SGX535 GPU could theoretically push 35 million polygons per second and 500 million pixels per second, although real-world performance may be considerably less.[20] Other performance improvements include additionalL2 cache.
The A4 processor package does not containRAM, but supportsPoP installation. The 1st-generation iPad,fourth-generation iPod Touch,[21] and the 2nd-generation Apple TV[22] have an A4 mounted with two low-power 128 MBDDR SDRAMchips (totaling 256 MB), while the iPhone 4 has two 256 MB packages for a total of 512 MB.[23][24][25] The RAM is connected to the processor using ARM's64-bit-wideAMBA 3 AXI bus. To give the iPad high graphics bandwidth, the width of the RAM data bus is double that used in previous ARM11- and ARM9-based Apple devices.[26]
TheApple A5 is an SoC manufactured bySamsung[27] that replaced theA4. The chip commercially debuted with the release of Apple'siPad 2tablet in March 2011,[28] followed by its release in theiPhone 4Ssmartphone later that year. Compared to the A4, the A5CPU "can do twice the work" and theGPU has "up to nine times the graphics performance",[29] according to Apple.
The A5 contains a dual-coreARM Cortex-A9 CPU[30] with ARM's advancedSIMD extension, marketed asNEON, and a dual corePowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU. This GPU can push between 70 and 80 million polygons/second and has a pixel fill rate of 2 billion pixels/second. The iPad 2's technical specifications page says the A5 is clocked at 1 GHz,[31] though it can adjust its frequency to save battery life.[30][32] The clock speed of the unit used in the iPhone 4S is 800 MHz. Like the A4, the A5 process size is 45 nm.[33]
An updated32 nm version of the A5 processor was used in the third-generation Apple TV, thefifth-generation iPod Touch, the iPad Mini, and the new version of iPad 2 (version iPad2,4).[34] The chip in the Apple TV has one core locked.[35][36] Markings on the square package indicate that it is namedAPL2498, and in software, the chip is calledS5L8942. The32 nm variant of the A5 provides around 15% better battery life during web browsing, 30% better when playing 3D games and about 20% better battery life during video playback.[37]
In March 2013, Apple released an updated version of the 3rd-generation Apple TV (Rev A, model A1469) containing a smaller, single-core version of the A5 processor. Unlike the other A5 variants, this version of the A5 is not a PoP, having no stacked RAM. The chip is very small, just 6.1×6.2 mm, but as the decrease in size is not due to a decrease in feature size (it is still on a 32 nm fabrication process), this indicates that this A5 revision is of a new design.[38] Markings tell that it is namedAPL7498, and in software, the chip is calledS5L8947.[39][40]
TheApple A5X is an SoC announced on March 7, 2012, at the launch of thethird-generation iPad. It is a high-performance variant of theApple A5; Apple claims it has twice the graphics performance of the A5.[41] It was superseded in thefourth-generation iPad by theApple A6X processor.
The A5X has a quad-core graphics unit (PowerVR SGX543MP4) instead of the previous dual-core as well as a quad-channel memory controller that provides a memory bandwidth of 12.8 GB/s, roughly three times more than in the A5. The added graphics cores and extra memory channels add up to a very large die size of 165 mm2,[42] for example twice the size ofNvidiaTegra 3.[43] This is mainly due to the large PowerVR SGX543MP4 GPU. The clock frequency of the dual ARM Cortex-A9 cores have been shown to operate at the same 1 GHz frequency as in A5.[44] The RAM in A5X is separate from the main CPU package.[45]
TheApple A6 is a PoP SoC introduced on September 12, 2012, at the launch of theiPhone 5, then a year later was inherited by its minor successor theiPhone 5C. Apple states that it is up to twice as fast and has up to twice the graphics power compared to its predecessor theApple A5.[46] It is 22% smaller and draws less power than the 45 nm A5.[47]
The A6 is said to use a 1.3 GHz[48] custom[49] Apple-designedARMv7 baseddual-core CPU, called Swift,[50] rather than a licensed CPU from ARM like in previous designs, and an integrated 266 MHz triple-corePowerVR SGX 543MP3[51]graphics processing unit (GPU). The Swift core in the A6 uses a new tweaked instruction set, ARMv7s, featuring some elements of theARM Cortex-A15 such as support for theAdvanced SIMD v2, andVFPv4.[49] The A6 is manufactured by Samsung on ahigh-κmetal gate (HKMG) 32 nm process.[52]
Apple A6X is an SoC introduced at the launch of thefourth-generation iPad on October 23, 2012. It is a high-performance variant of theApple A6. Apple claims the A6X has twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of its predecessor, theApple A5X.[53]
Like the A6, this SoC continues to use the dual-core Swift CPU, but it has a new quad core GPU, quad channel memory and slightly higher 1.4 GHz CPU clock rate.[54] It uses an integrated quad-corePowerVR SGX 554MP4graphics processing unit (GPU) running at 300 MHz and a quad-channelmemory subsystem.[54][55] Compared to the A6 the A6X is 30% larger, but it continues to be manufactured by Samsung on ahigh-κmetal gate (HKMG) 32 nm process.[55]
TheApple A7 is a64-bit PoP SoC whose first appearance was in theiPhone 5S, which was introduced on September 10, 2013. The chip would also be used in theiPad Air,iPad Mini 2 andiPad Mini 3. Apple states that it is up to twice as fast and has up to twice the graphics power compared to its predecessor the Apple A6.[56] The Apple A7 chip is the first 64-bit chip to be used in a smartphone and later a tablet computer.[57]
The A7 features an Apple-designed 1.3[58]–1.4[59] GHz 64-bit[60]ARMv8-A[61][62] dual-core CPU,[58] called Cyclone,[61] and an integratedPowerVR G6430 GPU in a four cluster configuration.[63] The ARMv8-A architecture doubles the number ofregisters of the A7 compared to the A6.[64] It now has 31 general-purpose registers that are each64-bits wide and 32 floating-point/NEON registers that are each 128-bits wide.[60] The A7 is manufactured by Samsung on ahigh-κmetal gate (HKMG) 28nm process[65] and the chip includes over 1 billiontransistors on a die 102 mm2 in size.[58]
TheApple A8 is a64-bit PoP SoC manufactured by TSMC. Its first appearance was in theiPhone 6 andiPhone 6 Plus, which were introduced on September 9, 2014.[66] A year later it would drive theiPad Mini 4. Apple states that it has 25% more CPU performance and 50% more graphics performance while drawing only 50% of the power compared to its predecessor, theApple A7.[67] On February 9, 2018, Apple released the HomePod, which is powered by an Apple A8 with 1 GB of RAM.[68]
The A8 features an Apple-designed 1.4[69] GHz 64-bit[70]ARMv8-A[70] dual-core CPU, and an integrated customPowerVR GX6450 GPU in a four cluster configuration.[69] The GPU features custom shader cores and compiler.[71] The A8 is manufactured on a 20 nm process[72] byTSMC,[73] which replacedSamsung as the manufacturer of Apple's mobile device processors. It contains 2 billion transistors. Despite that being double the number of transistors compared to the A7, its physical size has been reduced by 13% to 89 mm2 (consistent with a shrink only, not known to be a new microarchitecture).[74]
TheApple A8X is a64-bit SoC introduced at the launch of theiPad Air 2 on October 16, 2014.[75] It is a high performance variant of theApple A8. Apple states that it has 40% more CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of its predecessor, theApple A7.[75][76]
Unlike the A8, this SoC uses atriple-coreCPU, a newocta-coreGPU,dual channel memory and slightly higher 1.5 GHz CPU clock rate.[77] It uses an integrated custom octa-corePowerVR GXA6850graphics processing unit (GPU) running at 450 MHz and a dual-channelmemory subsystem.[77] It is manufactured byTSMC on their 20 nm fabrication process, and consists of 3 billiontransistors.
TheApple A9 is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone 6S and 6S Plus, which were introduced on September 9, 2015.[78] Apple states that it has 70% more CPU performance and 90% more graphics performance compared to its predecessor, theApple A8.[78] It is dual sourced, a first for an Apple SoC; it is manufactured by Samsung on their 14 nm FinFET LPE process and by TSMC on their 16 nm FinFET process. It was subsequently included in thefirst-generation iPhone SE, and theiPad (5th generation). The Apple A9 was the last CPU that Apple manufactured through a contract with Samsung, as all A-series chips after are manufactured by TSMC.
TheApple A9X is a64-bit SoC that was announced on September 9, 2015, and released on November 11, 2015, and first appeared in theiPad Pro.[79] It offers 80% more CPU performance and two times the GPU performance of its predecessor, theApple A8X. It is manufactured byTSMC using a 16nmFinFET process.[80]
TheApple A10 Fusion is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which were introduced on September 7, 2016.[81] The A10 is also featured in thesixth-generation iPad,seventh-generation iPad andseventh-generation iPod Touch.[82] It has a newARM big.LITTLE quad core design with two high performance cores, and two smaller highly efficient cores. It is 40% faster than the A9, with 50% faster graphics. It is manufactured by TSMC on their 16 nm FinFET process.
TheApple A10X Fusion is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in the 10.5″iPad Pro and the second generation of the 12.9″ iPad Pro, which were both announced on June 5, 2017.[83] It is a variant of theA10 and Apple claims that it has 30 percent faster CPU performance and 40 percent faster GPU performance than its predecessor, theA9X.[83] On September 12, 2017, Apple announced that theApple TV 4K would be powered by an A10X chip. It is made by TSMC on their 10 nm FinFET process.[84]
TheApple A11 Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC[85] that first appeared in theiPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, andiPhone X, which were introduced on September 12, 2017.[85] It has two high-performance cores, which are 25% faster than theA10 Fusion, four high-efficiency cores, which are 70% faster than the energy-efficient cores in the A10, and for the first time an Apple-designed three-core GPU with 30% faster graphics performance than the A10.[85][86] It is also the first A-series chip to feature Apple's "Neural Engine," which enhances artificial intelligence and machine learning processes.[87]
TheApple A12 Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone XS,XS Max andXR, which were introduced on September 12, 2018. It is also used in thethird-generation iPad Air,fifth-generation iPad Mini, and theeighth-generation iPad. It has two high-performance cores, which are 15% faster than the A11 Bionic, and four high-efficiency cores, which have 50% lower power usage than the energy-efficient cores in the A11 Bionic.[88] The A12 is manufactured byTSMC[89] using a7 nm[90]FinFET process, the first to ship in a smartphone.[91][89] It is also used in the 6th generationApple TV.
TheApple A12X Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in the 11.0″iPad Pro and the third generation of the 12.9″ iPad Pro, which were both announced on October 30, 2018.[92] It offers 35% faster single-core and 90% faster multi-core CPU performance than its predecessor, the A10X. It has four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. The A12X is manufactured byTSMC using a7 nmFinFET process.
TheApple A12Z Bionic is an updated version of the A12X Bionic, first appearing in the fourth generationiPad Pro, which was announced on March 18, 2020.[93] It adds an additional GPU core, compared to the A12X, for improved graphics performance.[94] The A12Z is also used in theDeveloper Transition Kit prototype computer that helps developers prepare their software for Macs based on Apple silicon.[95]
TheApple A13 Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone 11,11 Pro, and11 Pro Max, which were introduced on September 10, 2019. It is also featured in thesecond-generation iPhone SE (released April 15, 2020), the9th generation iPad (announced September 14, 2021) and in theStudio Display (announced March 8, 2022)
The entire A13 SoC features a total of 18 cores – a six-core CPU, four-core GPU, and an eight-core Neural Engine processor, which is dedicated to handling on-board machine learning processes; four of the six cores on the CPU are low-powered cores that are dedicated to handling less CPU-intensive operations, such as voice calls, browsing the Web, and sending messages, while two higher-performance cores are used only for more CPU-intensive processes, such as recording 4K video or playing a video game.[96]
TheApple A14 Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in thefourth-generation iPad Air andiPhone 12, released on October 23, 2020. It is the first commercially available5 nm chipset and it contains 11.8 billion transistors and a 16-core AI processor.[97] It includes SamsungLPDDR4XDRAM, a 6-core CPU, and 4-Core GPU with real time machine learning capabilities. It was later used in thetenth-generation iPad, released on October 26, 2022.
TheApple A15 Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone 13, unveiled on September 14, 2021. The A15 is built on a 5-nanometer manufacturing process with 15 billion transistors. It has 2 high-performance processing cores, 4 high-efficiency cores, a new 5-core graphics for iPhone 13 Pro series (4-core for iPhone 13 and 13 mini) processing unit, and a new 16-core Neural Engine capable of 15.8 trillion operations per second.[98][99] It is also used in thethird-generation iPhone SE,iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus and thesixth-generation iPad Mini.[100]
TheApple A16 Bionic is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone 14 Pro, unveiled on September 7, 2022. The A16 has 16 billion transistors and is built onTSMC'sN4P fabrication process, being touted by Apple as the first 4 nm processor in a smartphone.[101][102] However, N4 is an enhanced version of N5 technology, ade facto fourth-generation5 nmmanufacturing process.[103][104][105] The chip has 2 high-performance processing cores, 4 high-efficiency cores and 5-core graphics for iPhone 14 Pro series. Memory is upgraded to LPDDR5 for 50% higher bandwidth and a 7% faster 16-core Neural Engine capable of 17 trillion operations per second. The chip was later used in theiPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.[106]
TheApple A17 Pro is a64-bitARM-based SoC that first appeared in theiPhone 15 Pro, unveiled on September 12, 2023. It is Apple's first3 nm SoC. The chip has 2 high-performance processing cores, 4 high-efficiency cores, a 6-core GPU for iPhone 15 Pro series, and a 16-core Neural Engine capable of 35 trillion operations per second. The GPU was described as their biggest redesign in the history of Apple GPUs, adding hardware acceleratedray tracing and mesh shading support.[107]
TheApple A18 is a64-bitARM-based SoC designed by Apple that first appeared in theiPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
TheApple A18 Pro is a64-bitARM-based SoC designed by Apple that first appeared in theiPhone 16 Pro.
General | Semiconductor technology | Computer architecture | CPU | GPU | AI accelerator | Memory technology | First release | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Name | Codename | Part number | Image | Node | Manufacturer | Transistors count | Die size | CPUISA | Bit width | Performance core | Efficiency core | Overall cores | Cache | Vendor | Cores | SIMD EU count | FP32 ALU count | Frequency | FP32 FLOPS | Cores | OPS | Memory bus width | Total channel Bit per channel | Memory type | Theoretical bandwidth | Available capacity | ||||||||
Core name | Cores | Core speed | Core name | Cores | Core speed | L1 | L2 | L3 | SLC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
APL0098 | S5L8900 | ![]() | 90 nm [108] | Samsung | 72 mm2 [11] | ARMv6 | 32-bit | ARM11 | 1 | 412 MHz | — | — | — | Single-core | L1i: 16 KB L1d: 16 KB | — | — | — | PowerVR MBX Lite | 1 | 1 | 8 | 60 MHz – 103 MHz | 0.96 GFLOPS – 1.64 GFLOPS | — | — | 16-bit | 1 channel 16-bit/channel | LPDDR-266 (133.25 MHz) | 533 MB/s | 128 MB | June 29, 2007 | ||
APL0278 | S5L8720 | ![]() | 65 nm [11] | 36 mm2 [11] | 533 MHz | 103 MHz – 133 MHz | 1.64 GFLOPs – 2.12 GFLOPS | 32-bit | 1 channel 32-bit/channel | 1066 MB/s | July 11, 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
APL0298 | S5L8920 | ![]() | 71.8 mm2 [12] | ARMv7 | Cortex-A8 | 600 MHz | L1i: 32 KB L1d: 32 KB | 256 KB | PowerVR SGX535 [109] | 2 | 16 | 200 MHz | 6.4 GFLOPS | LPDDR-400 (200 MHz) | 1.6 GB/s | 256 MB | June 19, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
APL2298 | S5L8922 | ![]() | 45 nm [11][12] [33] | 41.6 mm2 [11] | September 9, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A4 | APL0398 | S5L8930 | ![]() | 53.3 mm2 [11][12] | 800 MHz | 512 KB | 200 MHz – 250 MHz | 6.4 GFLOPS – 8.0 GFLOPS | 64-bit | 2 channels 32-bit/channel | 3.2 GB/s | April 3, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1.0 GHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
800 MHz | 512 MB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A5 | APL0498 | S5L8940 | ![]() | 122.2 mm2 [33] | Cortex-A9 | 2 | 800 MHz | Dual-core | 1 MB | PowerVR SGX543 [110][51] | 2 | 4 | 32 | 200 MHz | 12.8 GFLOPS | LPDDR2-800 (400 MHz) | 6.4 GB/s | March 11, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
1.0 GHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
APL2498 | S5L8942 | ![]() | 32 nm HκMG [34][40] | 69.6 mm2 [34] | 800 MHz | March 7, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.0 GHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2[a] | Dual-core[b] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
APL7498 | S5L8947 | ![]() | 37.8 mm2 [40] | 1 | Single-core | January 28, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A5X | APL5498 | S5L8945 | ![]() | 45 nm [11][12] [33] | 165 mm2 [42] | 2 | Dual-core | 4 | 8 | 64 | 25.6 GFLOPS | 128-bit | 4 channels 32-bit/channel | 12.8 GB/s | 1 GB | March 16, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||
A6 | APL0598 | S5L8950 | ![]() | 32 nm HκMG [52][111] [55] | 96.71 mm2 [52][111] | ARMv7s[112] | Swift[49] | 1.3 GHz [113] | 3 | 6 | 48 | 266 or 709 MHz | 25.5 or 68.0 GFLOPS | 64-bit | 2 channels 32-bit/channel | LPDDR2-1066 (533 MHz) | 8.5 GB/s | September 21, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||
A6X | APL5598 | S5L8955 | ![]() | 123 mm2 [55] | 1.4 GHz [54] | PowerVR SGX554 [54][114] | 4 | 16 | 128 | 300 MHz | 76.8 GFLOPS | 128-bit | 4 channels 32-bit/channel | 17.0 GB/s | November 2, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
A7 | APL0698 | S5L8960 | ![]() | 28 nm HκMG [65][115] | 1 billion | 102 mm2 [60][115] | ARMv8.0-A [61][69] | 64-bit | Cyclone | 1.3 GHz | L1i: 64 KB L1d: 64 KB | 4 MB (Inclusive) [61][116][59] | PowerVR G6430 [63][114] | 450 MHz | 115.2 GFLOPS | 64-bit | 1 channel 64-bit/channel | LPDDR3-1600 (800 MHz) | 12.8 GB/s | September 20, 2013 | ||||||||||||||
APL5698 | S5L8965 | ![]() | 1.4 GHz | November 1, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A8 | APL1011 | T7000 | ![]() | 20 nm HκMG [70][69] | TSMC | 2 billion | 89 mm2 [117][77] [118] | Typhoon | 1.1 GHz | PowerVR GX6450 [71][119][120] | 533 MHz | 136.4 GFLOPS | September 19, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1.4 GHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.5 GHz | 2 GB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A8X | APL1021 | T7001 | ![]() | 3 billion | 128 mm2 [77] | 3 | 3-core | 2 MB | PowerVR GX6850 [71][77][118] | 8 | 32 | 256 | 450 MHz | 230.4 GFLOPS | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | 25.6 GB/s | October 22, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||
A9 | APL0898 | S8000 | ![]() | 14 nm FinFET [121] | Samsung | ≥ 2 billion | 96 mm2 [122] | Twister | 2 | 1.85 GHz [123][124] | Dual-core | 3 MB | 4 MB (Victim) | PowerVR GT7600 [71][126] | 6 | 24 | 192 | 650 MHz | 249.6 GFLOPS | 64-bit | 1 channel 64-bit/channel | LPDDR4-3200 (1600 MHz) | September 25, 2015 | |||||||||||
APL1022 | S8003 | ![]() | 16 nm FinFET [122][127] [128] | TSMC | 104.5 mm2 [122] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A9X | APL1021 | S8001 | ![]() | ≥ 3 billion | 143.9 mm2 [127][84] | 2.16 GHz [129][130] | — [116][127] | PowerVR GT7850 [71][127] | 12 | 48 | 384 | 499.2 GFLOPS | 128-bit[c] | 2 channels[d] 64-bit/channel | November 11, 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||
2.26 GHz | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | 51.2 GB/s | 4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A10 Fusion | APL1W24 | T8010 | ![]() | 3.3 billion | 125 mm2 [128] | ARMv8.1-A | Hurricane | 2 | 1.64 GHz | Zephyr | 2 | 1.09 GHz | Quad-core[e] | P-core: L1i: 64 KB L1d: 64 KB E-core: L1i: 32 KB L1d: 32 KB | P-core: 3 MB E-core: 1 MB | 4 MB | PowerVR GT7600 Plus[131][71] [132][133] | 6 | 24 | 192 | 900 MHz | 345.6 GFLOPS | 64-bit | 1 channel 64-bit/channel | 25.6 GB/s | 2 GB | September 16, 2016 | |||||||
2.34 GHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A10X Fusion | APL1071 | T8011 | ![]() | 10 nm FinFET [84] | ≥ 4 billion | 96.4 mm2 [84] | 3 | 2.38 GHz | 3 | 1.30 GHz | 6-core[f] | P-core: 8 MB E-core: 1 MB | — [134][135] | 4 MB | 12 | 48 | 384 | 1000 MHz | 768.0 GFLOPS | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | 51.2 GB/s | 3 GB | June 13, 2017 | ||||||||||
4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A11 Bionic | APL1W72 | T8015 | ![]() | 4.3 billion | 87.66 mm2 [136] | ARMv8.2-A [137] | Monsoon | 2 | 2.39 GHz | Mistral | 4[g] | 1.19 GHz | 6-core | 1st generation Apple- designed | 3 | 12 | 192 | 1066 MHz | 409.3 GFLOPS | 2 | 600 billion OPS | 64-bit | 4 channels 16-bit/channel | LPDDR4X-4266 (2133 MHz) | 34.1 GB/s | 2 GB | September 22, 2017 | |||||||
3 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A12 Bionic | APL1W81 | T8020 | ![]() | 7 nm (N7) FinFET | 6.9 billion | 83.27 mm2 [138] | ARMv8.3-A [139] | Vortex | 2.49 GHz | Tempest | 4 | 1.59 GHz | P-core: L1i: 128 KB L1d: 128 KB E-core: L1i: 32 KB L1d: 32 KB | P-core: 8 MB E-core: 2 MB | 8 MB | 2nd generation Apple- designed (Apple G11P) | 4 | 16 | 256 | 1125 MHz | 576.0 GFLOPS | 8 | 5 TOPS | September 21, 2018 | ||||||||||
4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A12X Bionic | APL1083 | T8027 | ![]() | 10 billion | 135 mm2 [140] | 4 | 8-core | Second generation Apple- designed (Apple G11G) | 7 | 28 | 448 | 1.008 TFLOPS | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | 68.2 GB/s | November 7, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
6 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A12Z Bionic | ![]() | 8 | 32 | 512 | 1.152 TFLOPS | March 25, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 GB | June 22, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A13 Bionic | APL1W85 | T8030 | ![]() | 7 nm (N7P) FinFET | 8.5 billion | 98.48 mm2 [141] | ARMv8.4-A [142] | Lightning | 2 | 2.66 GHz | Thunder | 1.72 GHz | 6-core | P-core: L1i: 128 KB L1d: 128 KB E-core: L1i: 96 KB L1d: 48 KB | P-core: 8 MB E-core: 4 MB | 16 MB | 3rd generation Apple- designed [143] | 4 | 16 [144] | 256 | 1350 MHz | 691.2 GFLOPS | 5.5 TOPS | 64-bit | 4 channels 16-bit/channel | 34.1 GB/s | 3 GB | September 20, 2019 | ||||||
4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A14 Bionic | APL1W01 | T8101 | ![]() | 5 nm (N5) FinFET | 11.8 billion | 88 mm2 [145] | ARMv8.5-A [146] | Firestorm | 3.00 GHz | Icestorm | 1.82 GHz | P-core: L1i: 192 KB L1d: 128 KB E-core: L1i: 128 KB L1d: 64 KB | 4th generation Apple- designed [147][143][148] [149] | 1462.5 MHz | 748.8 GFLOPS | 16 | 11 TOPS | October 23, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A15 Bionic | APL1W07 [150] | T8110 | ![]() | 5 nm (N5P) FinFET | 15 billion | 108.01 mm2 [150] | ARMv8.6-A [146] | Avalanche | 3.24 GHz | Blizzard | 2.02 GHz | P-core: 12 MB E-core: 4 MB | 32 MB | 5th generation Apple- designed [151][152][153] | 512 [144] | 1338 MHz [144][154] | 1.370 TFLOPS[155] | 15.8 TOPS | 4 GB | September 24, 2021 | ||||||||||||||
2.93 GHz | 5 | 20 [154][156] | 640 [154][156] | 1.713 TFLOPS[157] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3.24 GHz | 6 GB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A16 Bionic | APL1W10 | T8120 | ![]() | 4 nm (N4P) FinFET | 16 billion | 112.75 mm2 | Everest [160][161] | 3.46 GHz | Sawtooth [160][161] | P-core: 16 MB E-core: 4 MB | 24 MB | 6th generation Apple- designed | 1398 MHz [156] | 1.789 TFLOPS [156] | 17 TOPS | LPDDR5-6400 (3200 MHz) | 51.2 GB/s | September 16, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||
A17 Pro | APL1V02 | T8130 | ![]() | 3 nm (N3B)FinFET | 19 billion | 103.80 mm2 | Everest (2nd generation) | 3.78 GHz [163] | Sawtooth (2nd generation) | 2.11 GHz [163] | 7th generation Apple- designed | 6 | 24 | 768 | 2.147 TFLOPS[164] | 35 TOPS | 8 GB | September 22, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
A18 | APL1V08 | 3 nm (N3E)FinFET | 90 mm2[165] | ARMv9.2-A[166] | Everest (3rd generation) | 4.05 GHz | Sawtooth (3rd generation) | 2.42 GHz[167] | P-core: 8 MB E-core: 4 MB | 12 MB | 8th generation Apple- designed | 5 | 20[168] | 640[168] | 1490 MHz[169] | 1.907 TFLOPS | LPDDR5X-7500 (3750 MHz) | 60.0 GB/s[168] | September 9, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
A18 Pro | APL1V07 | T8140 | 105 mm2[165] | P-core: 16 MB E-core: 4 MB | 24 MB | 6 | 24[168] | 768[168] | 2.289 TFLOPS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | Codename | Part No. | Image | Node | Manufacturer | Transistors count | Die size | CPUISA | Bit width | Core name | Cores | Core speed | Core name | Cores | Core speed | Overall cores | L1 | L2 | L3 | SLC | Vendor | Cores | SIMD EU count | FP32 ALU count | Frequency | FP32 FLOPS | Cores | OPS | Memory bus width | Total channel Bit per channel | Memory type | Theoretical bandwidth | Available capacity | First release |
Performance core | Efficiency core | Cache | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General | Semiconductor technology | Computer architecture | CPU | GPU | AI accelerator | Memory technology |
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The AppleM series is a family ofsystems on a chip (SoC) used inMac computers from November 2020 or later,iPad Pro tablets from April 2021 or later,iPad Air tablets from March 2022 or later, andVision Pro. TheM designation was previously used forApple motion coprocessors.
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The M1, Apple's first system on a chip designed for use in Macs, is manufactured usingTSMC's 5 nm process. Announced on November 10, 2020, it was first used in theMacBook Air,Mac mini and13-inch MacBook Pro, and later used in theiMac,5th-generation iPad Pro and5th-generation iPad Air. It comes with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, for a total of 8 CPU cores. It comes with up to 8 GPU cores, with the entry level MacBook Air having only 7 GPU cores. The M1 has 16 billion transistors.[170]
The M1 Pro is a more powerful version of the M1, with six to eight performance cores, two efficiency cores, 14 to 16 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, up to 32 GB unified RAM with up to 200 GB/s memory bandwidth, and more than double the transistors. It was announced on October 18, 2021, and is used in the 14- and 16-inchMacBook Pro. Apple claimed the CPU performance is about 70% faster than the M1, and that its GPU performance is about double. Apple claims the M1 Pro can deliver up to 20 streams of 4K or 7 streams of 8K ProRes video playback (up from 6 offered by Afterburner card for2019 Mac Pro).
The M1 Max is a larger version of the M1 Pro chip, with eight performance cores, two efficiency cores, 24 to 32 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, up to 64 GB unified RAM with up to 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, and more than double the number of transistors. It was announced on October 18, 2021, and is used in the 14- and 16-inchMacBook Pro, as well as theMac Studio. Apple claims the M1 Max can deliver up to 30 streams of 4K (up from 23 offered by Afterburner card for 2019 Mac Pro) or 7 streams of 8K ProRes video playback.
The M1 Ultra consists of two M1 Max dies connected together by a silicon interposer through Apple's UltraFusion interconnect.[171] It has 114 billion transistors, 16 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 48 to 64 GPU cores and 32 Neural Engine cores; it can be configured with up to 128 GB unified RAM of 800 GB/s memory bandwidth. It was announced on March 8, 2022, as an optional upgrade for theMac Studio. Apple claims the M1 Ultra can deliver up to 18 streams of 8K ProRes video playback.[172]
Apple announced the M2 SoC on June 6, 2022, atWWDC, along with a redesigned MacBook Air and a revised 13-inch MacBook Pro and later thesixth-generation iPad Pro and thesixth-generation iPad Air. The M2 is made with TSMC's "enhanced 5-nanometer technology" N5P process and contains 20 billion transistors, a 25% increase from the previous generation M1. The M2 can be configured with up to 24 gigabytes of RAM and 2 terabytes of storage. It has 8 CPU cores (4 performance and 4 efficiency) and up to 10 GPU cores. The M2 also increases the memory bandwidth to100 GB/s. Apple claims CPU improvements up to 18% and GPU improvements up to 35% compared to the previous M1.[173]
The M2 Pro is a more powerful version of the M2, with six to eight performance cores, four efficiency cores, 16 to 19 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, up to 32 GB unified RAM with up to 200 GB/s memory bandwidth, and double the transistors. It was announced on January 17, 2023, in a press release and it is used in the 14- and 16-inch 2023MacBook Pro as well as theMac Mini. Apple claims the CPU performance is 20 percent faster than the M1 Pro and the GPU is 30 percent faster than the M1 Pro.[174]
The M2 Max is a larger version of the M2 Pro, with eight performance cores, four efficiency cores, 30 to 38 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, up to 96 GB unified RAM with up to 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, and more than double the transistors. It was announced on January 17, 2023, in a press release and it is used in the 14- and 16-inch 2023MacBook Pro, as well as theMac Studio.[175] Apple claims the CPU performance is 20 percent faster than M1 Max and the GPU is 30 percent faster than the M1 Max.[174]
The M2 Ultra consists of two M2 Max dies connected together by a silicon interposer through Apple's UltraFusion interconnect. It has 134 billion transistors, 16 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, 60 to 76 GPU cores and 32 Neural Engine cores; it can be configured with up to 192 GB unified RAM of 800 GB/s memory bandwidth. It was announced on June 5, 2023, as an optional upgrade for theMac Studio and the sole processor for theMac Pro. Apple claims the M2 Ultra can deliver up to 22 streams of 8K ProRes video playback.[176]
Apple announced the M3 series of chips on October 30, 2023, along with the new MacBook Pro and iMac, and later used in the MacBook Air and theseventh-generation iPad Air. The M3 is based on the3 nm process and contains 25 billion transistors, a 25% increase from the previous generation M2. It has 8 CPU cores (4 performance and 4 efficiency) and up to 10 GPU cores. Apple claims CPU improvements up to 35% and GPU improvements up to 65% compared to the M1.[177]
The M3 Pro is a more powerful version of the M3, with five or six performance cores, six efficiency cores, 14 to 18 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, up to 36 GB unified RAM with 150 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 48% more transistors. It is used in the 14- and 16-inchMacBook Pro. Apple claims the CPU performance is 30 percent faster than the M1 Pro and the GPU is 40 percent faster than the M1 Pro.[177]
The M3 Max is a larger version of the M3 Pro, with ten or twelve performance cores, four efficiency cores, 30 to 40 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, up to 128 GB unified RAM with up to 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, and more than double the transistors. It is used in the 14- and 16-inchMacBook Pro. Apple claims the CPU performance is 80 percent faster than the M1 Max and the GPU is 50 percent faster than the M1 Max.[177]
The M3 Ultra consists of two M3 Max dies connected together by a silicon interposer through Apple's UltraFusion interconnect. It has 184 billion transistors, 20 or 24 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, 60 to 80 GPU cores and 32 Neural Engine cores; it can be configured with up to 512 GB unified RAM of 800 GB/s memory bandwidth. It was announced on March 5, 2025, as an optional upgrade for theMac Studio. Apple claims the M3 Ultra can deliver up to 22 streams of 8K ProRes video playback.[178]
Apple announced the M4 chip on May 7, 2024, along with the newseventh-generation iPad Pro models; it would later be used for the iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The M4 is based on the N3E process rather than the N3B process used by the M3 and contains 28 billion transistors. It has three or four performance cores, four or six efficiency cores and up to ten GPU cores. Apple claims the M4 has up to 1.5x faster CPU performance compared to the M2.[179]
The M4 Pro is a more powerful version of the M4, with eight or ten performance cores, four efficiency cores, 16 to 20 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, and up to 64 GB unified RAM with 273 GB/s memory bandwidth. It is used in the 14- and 16-inchMacBook Pro as well as theMac Mini. Apple claims the CPU performance is 1.9x faster than the M1 Pro and the GPU is 2x faster than the M1 Pro.[180]
The M4 Max is a larger version of the M4 Pro, with ten or twelve performance cores, four efficiency cores, 32 to 40 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, and up to 128 GB unified RAM with up to 546 GB/s memory bandwidth. It is used in the 14- and 16-inchMacBook Pro. Apple claims the CPU performance is 2.2x faster than the M1 Max and the GPU is 1.9x faster than the M1 Max.[180]
General | Semiconductor technology | CPU | GPU | AI accelerator | Media Engine | Memory technology | First release | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Name | Codename and part no. | Image | Process | Transistor count | Die size | Transistor density | CPUISA | Performance core | Efficiency core | Overall cores | Cache | Vendor | Cores | SIMD EU count | FP32 ALU count | Frequency | FP32 FLOPS (TFLOPS) | Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Cores | OPS | Hardware Acceleration | Media Decode/Encode Engine | Memory bus width | Total channel Bit per channel | Memory type | Theoretical bandwidth | Available capacity | |||||||||||
Core name | Cores | Core speed | Core name | Cores | Core speed | L1 | L2 | SLC | Video decode | Video encode | ProRes decode & encode | AV1 decode | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M1 | APL1102 T8103 | ![]() | TSMC N5 | 16 billion | 118.91 mm2[181] | ~134 MTr/mm2 | ARMv8.5-A [146] | Firestorm | 4 | 3.20 GHz | Icestorm | 4 | 2.06 GHz | 8-core | P-core: L1i: 192 KB L1d: 128 KB E-core: L1i: 128 KB L1d: 64 KB | P-core: 12 MB E-core: 4 MB | 8 MB | 4th generation Apple-designed | 7 | 28 | 896 | 1278 MHz | 2.290 | No | 16 | 11 TOPS | H264, HEVC | 1 | 1 | — | — | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | LPDDR4X-4266 (2133 MHz) | 68.25 GB/s | 8 GB 16 GB | November 17, 2020 | |
8 | 32 | 1024 | 2.617 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M1 Pro | APL1103 T6000 | ![]() | 33.7 billion | ≈ 245 mm2 [182] | ~137 MTr/mm2 | 6 | 3.23 GHz | 2 | P-core: 24 MB E-core: 4 MB | 24 MB | 14 | 56 | 1792 | 1296 MHz | 4.644 | H264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW | 1 | 256-bit | 2 channels 128-bit/channel | LPDDR5-6400 (3200 MHz) | 204.8 GB/s | 16 GB 32 GB | October 26, 2021 | |||||||||||||||
8 | 10-core | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 64 | 2048 | 5.308 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M1 Max | APL1105 T6001 [183] | ![]() | 57 billion | ≈ 432 mm2 [182] | ~132 MTr/mm2 | 48 MB | 24 | 96 | 3072 | 7.962 | 2 | 2 | 512-bit | 4 channels 128-bit/channel | 409.6 GB/s | 32 GB 64 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | 128 | 4096 | 10.616 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M1 Ultra | APL1W06 T6002 | ![]() | 114 billion | ≈ 864 mm2 | 16 | 4 | 20-core | P-core: 48 MB E-core: 8 MB | 96 MB | 48 | 192 | 6144 | 15.925 | 32 | 22 TOPS | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1024-bit | 8 channels 128-bit/channel | 819.2 GB/s | 64 GB 128 GB | March 18, 2022 | |||||||||||||||
64 | 256 | 8192 | 21.233 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M2 | APL1109 T8112 | ![]() | TSMC N5P | 20 billion | 155.25 mm2 [181] | ~129 MTr/mm2 | ARMv8.6-A [146] | Avalanche | 4 | 3.50 GHz | Blizzard | 4 | 2.42 GHz | 8-core | P-core: 16 MB E-core: 4 MB | 8 MB | 5th generation Apple-designed | 8 | 32 | 1024 | 1398 MHz | 2.863 | 16 | 15.8 TOPS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | 102.4 GB/s | 8 GB 16 GB 24 GB | June 24, 2022 | ||||||
9[184] | 36 | 1152 | 3.578 | H264, HEVC | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | 40 | 1280 | H264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M2 Pro | APL1113 T6020 | 40 billion | ~289 mm2[185] | ~138 MTr/mm2 | 6 | 10-core | P-core: 32 MB E-core: 4 MB | 24 MB | 16 | 64 | 2048 | 5.726 | 256-bit | 4 channels 64-bit/channel | 204.8 GB/s | 16 GB 32 GB | January 24, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 12-core | 19 | 76 | 2432 | 6.799 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M2 Max | APL1111 T6021 | 67 billion | 3.69 GHz [186] | 48 MB | 30 | 120 | 3840 | 10.736 | 2 | 2 | 512-bit | 4 channels 128-bit/channel | 409.6 GB/s | 32 GB 64 GB 96 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
38 | 152 | 4864 | 13.599 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M2 Ultra | APL1W12 T6022 | 134 billion | 16 | ~3.00 GHz -3.70 GHz [186][187][188] | 8 | 24-core | P-core: 64 MB E-core: 8 MB | 96 MB | 60 | 240 | 7680 | 21.473 | 32 | 31.6 TOPS | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1024-bit | 8 channels 128-bit/channel | 819.2 GB/s | 64 GB 128 GB 192 GB | June 13, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
76 | 304 | 9728 | 27.199 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M3 | APL1201 T8122 | TSMC N3B | 25 billion | — | 4 | 4.05 GHz | — | 4 | 2.75 GHz | 8-core | P-core: 16 MB E-core: 4 MB | 8 MB | 7th generation Apple-designed | 8 | 128 | 1024 | 1380 MHz | 2.826 | Yes | 16 | 18 TOPS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | 102.4 GB/s | 8 GB 16 GB 24 GB | November 7, 2023 | ||||||||
10 | 160 | 1280 | 3.533 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M3 Pro | APL1203 T6030 | 37 billion | 5 | 6 | 11-core | 12 MB | 14 | 224 | 1792 | 4.946 | 192-bit | 3 channels 64-bit/channel | 153.6 GB/s | 18 GB 36 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 12-core | 18 | 288 | 2304 | 6.359 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M3 Max | APL1204 T6034 | 92 billion | 10 | 4 | 14-core | P-core: 32 MB E-core: 4 MB | 48 MB | 30 | 480 | 3840 | 10.598 | 2 | 2 | 384-bit | 3 channels 128-bit/channel | 307.2 GB/s | 36 GB 96 GB | |||||||||||||||||||||
APL1204 T6031 | 12 | 16-core | 40 | 640 | 5120 | 14.131 | 512-bit | 4 channels 128-bit/channel | 409.6 GB/s | 48 GB 64 GB 128 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M3 Ultra | T6032 | 184 billion | 20 | 8 | 28-core | P-core: 64 MB E-core: 8 MB | 96 MB | 60 | 960 | 7680 | 36 TOPS | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1024-bit | 8 channels 128-bit/channel | 819.2 GB/s | 96 GB 256 GB | March 12, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
24 | 32-core | 80 | 1280 | 10240 | 96 GB 256 GB 512 GB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M4 | APL1206 T8132 | TSMC N3E | 28 billion | ARMv9 | 4 | 4.40 GHz | 4 | 2.85 GHz | 8-core | P-core: 16 MB E-core: 4 MB | 8 | 128 | 1024 | 1470 MHz | 38 TOPS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 128-bit | 2 channels 64-bit/channel | LPDDR5X-7500 (3750 MHz) | 120 GB/s | 8 GB 16 GB 24 GB 32 GB | May 15, 2024 | |||||||||||||
3 | 6 | 9-core | 10 | 160 | 1280 | 4.26[192] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | 10-core | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M4 Pro | T6040 | 8 | 4.51 GHz | 4 | 12-core | P-core: 2×16 MB E-core: 4 MB | 16 | 256 | 2048 | 1578 MHz | 6.82[193] | 256-bit | LPDDR5X-8533 (4266 MHz) | 273 GB/s | 24 GB 48 GB 64 GB | November 8, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | 14-core | 20 | 320 | 2560 | 8.52[194] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M4 Max | T6041 | 10 | 4 | 14-core | 32 | 512 | 4096 | 13.64[195] | 384-bit | 409.6 GB/s | 36 GB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | 16-core | 40 | 640 | 5120 | 17.04[196] | 512-bit | 546 GB/s | 48 GB 64 GB 128 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | Codename and part no. | Image | Process | Transistor count | Die size | Transistor density | CPUISA | Performance core | Efficiency core | Overall cores | Cache | Vendor | Cores | SIMD EU count | FP32 ALU count | Frequency | FP32 FLOPS (TFLOPS) | Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Cores | OPS | Hardware Acceleration | Media Decode/Encode Engine | Memory bus width | Total channel Bit per channel | Memory type | Theoretical bandwidth | Available capacity | First release | ||||||||||
Core name | Cores | Core speed | Core name | Cores | Core speed | L1 | L2 | SLC | Video decode | Video encode | ProRes decode & encode | AV1 decode | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General | Semiconductor technology | CPU | GPU | AI accelerator | Media Engine | Memory technology |
TheR series is a family of low-latencysystem on a chips (SoCs) for real-time processing of sensor inputs.
The Apple R1 was announced by Apple on June 5, 2023, at itsWorldwide Developers Conference. It is used in theApple Vision Pro headset. The Apple R1 is dedicated to the real time processing of sensor inputs and delivering extremely low-latency images to the displays.
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The AppleS series is a family ofsystems in a package (SiP) used in theApple Watch andHomePod. It uses a customizedapplication processor that together withmemory,storage and support processors for wireless connectivity, sensors, andI/O form a complete computer in a single package. They are designed by Apple and manufactured by contract manufacturers such asSamsung.
TheApple S1 is an integrated computer. It includes memory, storage and support circuits likewireless modems and I/O controllers in a sealed integrated package. It was announced on September 9, 2014, as part of the "Wish we could say more" event. It was used in the first-generationApple Watch.[197]
Used inApple Watch Series 1. It has a dual-core processor identical to the S2, with the exception of the built-inGPS receiver. It contains the same dual-core CPU with the same newGPU capabilities as the S2, making it about 50% faster than the S1.[198][199]
Used in theApple Watch Series 2. It has a dual-core processor and a built-in GPS receiver. The S2's two cores deliver 50% higher performance and the GPU delivers twice as much as the predecessor,[200] and is similar in performance to the Apple S1P.[201]
Used in theApple Watch Series 3. It has a dual-core processor that is 70% faster than the Apple S2 and a built-in GPS receiver.[202] There is also an option for a cellular modem and an internaleSIM module.[202] It also includes the W2 chip.[202] The S3 also contains abarometricaltimeter, theW2 wireless connectivity processor, and in some modelsUMTS (3G) andLTE (4G) cellular modems served by a built-ineSIM.[202]
Used in theApple Watch Series 4. It introduced 64-bitARMv8cores to the Apple Watch through two Tempest cores,[203][204] which are also found in theA12 as energy-efficient cores. Despite its small size, Tempest uses a 3-wide decodeout-of-ordersuperscalar design, which makes it much more powerful than preceding in-order cores.
The S4 contains a Neural Engine that is able to runCore ML.[205] Third-party apps can use it starting from watchOS 6. The SiP also includes new accelerometer and gyroscope functionality that has twice the dynamic range in measurable values of its predecessor, as well as being able to sample data at 8 times the speed.[206] It contains the W3 wireless chip, which supportsBluetooth 5. It also contains a new customGPU, which can use theMetal API.[207]
Used in theApple Watch Series 5,Watch SE, andHomePod mini.[208] It adds a built-inmagnetometer to the custom 64-bit dual-core processor and GPU of the S4.[209]
Used in theApple Watch Series 6. It has a custom 64-bit dual-core processor that runs up to 20 percent faster than the S5.[210][211] The dual-cores in the S6 are based on theA13 Bionic's energy-efficient "little" Thunder cores at 1.8 GHz.[212] Like the S4 and S5, it also contains the W3 wireless chip.[211] The S6 adds the newU1 ultrawide band chip, an always-onaltimeter, and 5 GHzWiFi.[210][211]
Used in theApple Watch Series 7 and second-generationHomePod. The S7 CPU has the same T8301 identifier and quoted performance as the S6. It is the second time utilizing the energy-efficient "little" Thunder cores of theA13 Bionic.[213]
Used in the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Watch Series 8, and Watch Ultra.[214] The S8 CPU has the same T8301 identifier and quoted performance as the S6 and S7. It is the final CPU to utilize the energy-efficient "little" Thunder cores of theA13 Bionic.[215]
Used in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. The S9 CPU has a new dual-core CPU with 60 percent more transistors than the S8, a new four-core Neural Engine and the newU2 ultra-wide band chip. The dual-cores in the S9 are based on theA16 Bionic's energy efficient "little" Sawtooth cores.[216]
Used in the Apple Watch Series 10. The S10 CPU is the second time utilizing the energy-efficient "little" Sawtooth cores of theA16 Bionic.
Name | Model no. | Image | Semiconductor technology | Die size | CPUISA | CPU | CPU cache | GPU | Memory technology | Modem | First release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S1 | APL 0778 [217] | ![]() | 28 nmHκMG[218][219] | 32 mm2[218] | ARMv7k[219][220] | 520 MHzsingle-coreCortex-A7[219] | L1d: 32 KB[221] L2: 256 KB[221] | PowerVR Series 5[219][222] | LPDDR3[223] | April 24, 2015 | |
S1P | TBC | ![]() | TBC | ARMv7k[224][198][200] | 520 MHzdual-coreCortex-A7[224] | L1d: 32 KB[221] | PowerVR Series 6 'Rogue'[224] | LPDDR3 | September 12, 2016 | ||
S2 | ![]() | ||||||||||
S3 | ![]() | ARMv7k[225] | Dual-core | TBC | LPDDR4 | Qualcomm MDM9635M Snapdragon X7 LTE | September 22, 2017 | ||||
S4 | ![]() | 7 nm (TSMC N7) | TBC | ARMv8.3-A ILP32[226][227] [146] | 1.59 GHzDual-core Tempest | L1d: 32 KB[219] L2: 2 MB[219] | Apple G11M[227] | TBC | September 21, 2018 | ||
S5 | ![]() | September 20, 2019 | |||||||||
S6 | ![]() | 7 nm (TSMC N7P) | TBC | 1.8 GHzDual-core Thunder | L1d: 48 KB[228] L2: 4 MB[229] | TBC | September 18, 2020 | ||||
S7 | ![]() | October 15, 2021 | |||||||||
S8 | ![]() | September 16, 2022 | |||||||||
S9 | ![]() | 4 nm (TSMC N4P)[230] | Dual-core Sawtooth | L1d: 64 KB L2: 4 MB[231] | September 22, 2023 | ||||||
S10 | September 20, 2024 |
TheT series operates as a secure enclave on Intel-based MacBook and iMac computers released from 2016 onwards. The chip processes and encryptsbiometric information (Touch ID) and acts as a gatekeeper to the microphone and FaceTime HD camera, protecting them from hacking. The chip runsbridgeOS, a purported variant ofwatchOS.[232] The functions of theT-series processor were built into theM-series CPUs, thus ending the need for theT series.
The Apple T1 chip is anARMv7 SoC (derived from the processor in the Apple Watch'sS2) that drives the System Management Controller (SMC) andTouch ID sensor of the2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.[233]
The Apple T2 security chip is a SoC first released in theiMac Pro. It is a 64-bit ARMv8 chip (a variant of theA10 Fusion, or T8010).[234] It provides a secure enclave for encrypted keys, enables users to lock down the computer's boot process, handles system functions like the camera and audio control, and handles on-the-fly encryption and decryption for thesolid-state drive.[235][236][237] T2 also delivers "enhanced imaging processing" for the iMac Pro'sFaceTime HD camera.[238][239]
Name | Model no. | Image | Semiconductor technology | Die size | CPUISA | CPU | CPU cache | GPU | Memory technology | First release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Memory bandwidth | ||||||||||
T1 | APL 1023 [240] | ![]() | TBC | TBC | ARMv7 | TBD | November 12, 2016 | |||
T2 | APL 1027 [241] | ![]() | TSMC 16 nm FinFET.[242] | 104 mm2[242] | ARMv8-A ARMv7-A | 2× Hurricane 2× Zephyr + Cortex-A7 | L1i: 64 KB L1d: 64 KB L2: 3 MB[242] | 3× cores[242] | LP-DDR4[242] | December 14, 2017 |
The AppleC series is a family of cellular modem chips.
Apple C1 is a cellular modem chip introduced in theiPhone 16e.[243] It is built on the N4 process node by TSMC.[244] It supports UMTS/HSPA+ and 5G (sub-6 GHz), but lacksDC-HSDPA andmmWave, which are supported by other iPhone 16 models. Apple claims that the C1 is more power efficient than previous iPhone modems and consumes 20–25% less power than the Qualcomm modems used in other iPhone 16 models.[245][246]
The AppleU series is a family ofsystems in a package (SiP) implementingultra-wideband (UWB) radio.
The Apple U1 is used in theiPhone 11 series through theiPhone 14 series (excluding thesecond andthird generation iPhone SE);Apple Watch Series 6 through the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation);HomePod (2nd generation) andHomePod Mini;AirTag trackers; and the charging case forAirPods Pro (2nd generation).[247]
The Apple U2 (referred to by Apple as its "Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip") is used in theiPhone 15 series,iPhone 16 series (excludingiPhone 16e),Apple Watch Series 9,Apple Watch Ultra 2 andApple Watch Series 10.
Name | Model no. | Image | CPU | Semiconductor technology | First release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
U1 | TMK A75 | ![]() | Cortex-M4 ARMv7E-M[249] | 16 nmFinFET (TSMC 16FF) | September 20, 2019 |
U2 | September 22, 2023 |
The AppleW series, starting with the W2, are a family ofRFSoCs used for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Apple W2, used in theApple Watch Series 3, is integrated into theApple S3 SiP. Apple claimed the chip makes Wi-Fi 85% faster and allows Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to use half the power of the W1 implementation.[202]
The Apple W3 is used in theApple Watch Series 4,[250]Series 5,[251]Series 6,[211]SE (1st generation),[211]Series 7,Series 8,SE (2nd generation),Ultra,Series 9,Ultra 2, andSeries 10. It is integrated into theApple S4,S5,S6,S7,S8,S9, andS10 SiPs. It supports Bluetooth 5.0/5.3.
Name | Model no. | Image | Semiconductor technology | Die size | Bluetooth certification | First release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W2 | 338S00348[252] | ![]() | TBC | 4.2 | September 22, 2017 | |
W3 | 338S00464[253] | ![]() | 5.0/5.3 | September 21, 2018 |
The AppleW1 and theH series are a family ofSoCs withBluetooth wireless connectivity and low-power audio processing for use in headphones and speakers.
The Apple W1 is a SoC used in the 2016AirPods and selectBeats headphones.[254][255] It maintains a Bluetooth[256]Class 1 connection with a computer device and decodes the audio stream that is sent to it.[257] Its die size is 14.3 mm2.[258]
The Apple H1 chip was used in the second and third generationAirPods and the first generationAirPods Pro. It was also used in the Powerbeats Pro, the Beats Solo Pro, Beats Fit Pro, the 2020 Powerbeats, andAirPods Max.[259] Specifically designed for headphones, it has Bluetooth 5.0, supports hands-free "Hey Siri" commands,[260] and offers 30 percent lowerlatency than the W1 chip used in earlier AirPods.[261]
The Apple H2 chip was used in the fourth generation AirPods and second generation AirPods Pro. It has Bluetooth 5.3, and implements 48 kHznoise reduction in hardware. The 2022 version of the H2 operates only on the 2.4 GHz frequency, while the 2023 version adds support for audio transmission using a proprietary protocol in two specific frequency ranges of the 5 GHz band.[262]
Name | Model no. | Image | Bluetooth certification | First release |
---|---|---|---|---|
W1 | 343S00130[258] 343S00131[258] | ![]() | 4.2 | December 13, 2016 |
H1 | 343S00289[263] (AirPods 2nd Generation) 343S00290[264] (AirPods 3rd Generation) 343S00404[265] (AirPods Max) H1 SiP[266] (AirPods Pro) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 5.0 | March 20, 2019 |
H2 | AirPods (4th generation) AirPods Pro (2nd generation)[267] Apple Vision Pro | 5.3 | September 7, 2022 |
The AppleM-series coprocessors are motion coprocessors used by Apple Inc. in their mobile devices. First released in 2013, their function is to collect sensor data from integrated accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses and offload the collecting and processing of sensor data from the main central processing unit (CPU).
Only the M7 and M8 coprocessors were housed on separate chips; the M9, M10, and M11 coprocessors were embedded in their corresponding A-series chips. Beginning with the A12 Bionic chip in 2018, the motion coprocessors were fully integrated into the SoC. Apple eventually reused theM-series codename for theirdesktop SoCs.
Name | Model no. | Image | Semiconductor technology | CPUISA | CPU | First release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple M7 | LPC18A1 | ![]() | 90 nm | ARMv7-M | 150 MHzCortex-M3 | September 10, 2013 |
Apple M8 | LPC18B1 | ![]() | September 9, 2014 |
This segment is about Apple-designed processors that are not easily sorted into another section.
Apple first usedSamsung-developed SoCs in early versions of theiPhone andiPod Touch. They combine in one package a singleARM-based processing core (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and other electronics necessary for mobile computing.
TheAPL0098 (also 8900B[268] or S5L8900) is apackage on package (PoP) system on a chip (SoC) that was introduced on June 29, 2007, at the launch of theoriginal iPhone. It includes a 412 MHz single-coreARM11 CPU and a PowerVR MBX Lite GPU. It was manufactured by Samsung on a90 nmprocess.[11] TheiPhone 3G and the first-generation iPod Touch also use it.[269]
TheAPL0278[270] (also S5L8720) is a PoP SoC introduced on September 9, 2008, at the launch of thesecond-generation iPod Touch. It includes a 533 MHz single-core ARM11 CPU and aPowerVR MBX Lite GPU. It was manufactured by Samsung on a65 nm process.[11][269]
TheAPL0298 (also S5L8920) is a PoP SoC introduced on June 8, 2009, at the launch of theiPhone 3GS. It includes a 600 MHz single-coreCortex-A8 CPU and a PowerVR SGX535 GPU. It was manufactured by Samsung on a 65 nm process.[108]
TheAPL2298 (also S5L8922) is a45 nmdie shrunk version of the iPhone 3GS SoC[11] and was introduced on September 9, 2009, at the launch of thethird-generation iPod Touch.
TheSamsung S5L8747 is an ARM-basedmicrocontroller used in Apple'sLightning Digital AV Adapter, aLightning-to-HDMI adapter. This is a miniature computer with 256 MB RAM, running anXNU kernel loaded from the connectediPhone,iPod Touch, oriPad, then taking a serial signal from the iOS device translating that into a proper HDMI signal.[271][272]
Model no. | Image | First release | CPUISA | Specs | Application | Utilizing devices | Operating system |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
339S0196 | ![]() | September 2012 | Unknown | 256 MB RAM | Lightning to HDMI conversion | Apple Digital AV Adapter | XNU |
It's clear from both hardware and software that this is a single core processor, so it must be the ARM Cortex A8, and NOT the rumored multicore A9.
cIt's quite challenging to identify block-level logic inside a processor, so to identify the GPU we're falling back to software: early benchmarks are showing similar 3D performance to the iPhone, so we're guessing that the iPad uses the same PowerVR SGX 535 GPU.
Of all the error messages uploaded to these threads, there is one detail they seem to share: Bridge OS. This is an embedded operating system used by Apple's stand-alone T2 security chip, which provides the iMac Pro with a secure boot, encrypted storage, live "Hey Siri" commands, and so on.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)The H1 chip also drives voice-enabled Siri access and delivers up to 30 percent lower gaming latency.