Apple M5 Chip Rumors: What to Expect from the Next-Gen Processors

A Glimpse into the Future of Apple’s M5 Series

As the Apple M4 series has already made its debut on the latest Macs, rumors are starting to swirl around the M5 generation, expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2025. According to noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the M5 chips will be fabbed on TSMC’s N3P node (3nm), which promises a 5-10% reduction in power draw compared to the M4 generation’s N3E process, while delivering a 5% performance gain.

Mass Production Timeline and Chip Variations

The vanilla Apple M5 chip is expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2025, followed by the M5 Pro/Max in the second half of the year, and the M5 Ultra in 2026. Kuo suggests that Apple will employ a “server-grade” System-on-Integrated-Chips-molding-Horizontal (SoIC-mH) design with the M5 Pro/Max and Ultra chips, which uses 30-50% less space than a conventional system on a chip. This design should translate to improved thermal performance and less throttling.

Performance Enhancements and AI Boost

In addition to the SoIC-mH design, Apple is expected to separate its CPU and GPU designs on the M5 series, which should result in greater performance gains. The M5 series is expected to offer a substantial boost for AI tasks, making it an exciting development for those who rely heavily on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Key Takeaways

• The Apple M5 series is expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2025, with the M5 Pro/Max and Ultra chips following in the second half of the year and 2026, respectively.
• The M5 Pro/Max and Ultra chips will feature a “server-grade” SoIC-mH design, which uses 30-50% less space than a conventional system on a chip.
• The M5 series is expected to offer a substantial boost for AI tasks, thanks to the separation of CPU and GPU designs.
• The N3P node (3nm) promises a 5-10% reduction in power draw compared to the M4 generation’s N3E process, while delivering a 5% performance gain.