Apple#039;s M3 chip family
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The next generation Apple Silicon M4 is expected to arrive before the end of 2024 and is rumored to have a greater focus on artificial intelligence. than ever before.
Just six months after the introduction of the M3 generation and ahead of the likely launch of the M3 Ultra chip at WWDC, rumors are circulating about the M4 generation. It is now claimed that not only is Apple preparing to start producing new chips, but it is also introducing a launch heavily focused on artificial intelligence.
The Mac line is expected to be updated in late 2024 and early 2025, Bloomberg reported Thursday. These releases will include new iMacs, a new low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, high-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac minis, all of which use the M4 generation.
The M4 generation is said to be nearing production, people familiar with the chip told Bloomberg. Presumably, three main varieties will be released, codenamed Donan, Brava and Hidra. These are likely the base chips of the M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max.
As part of these chip releases, Apple is apparently going to highlight next-generation AI processing capabilities and their integration with macOS during WWDC.
Gurman does not say what exactly will change in the chips, with the exception of increasing the memory capacity of the top-end Hidra chip to support up to half a terabyte of memory.
The most likely way for Apple to make its chips more AI-centric is to make changes to the Neural Engine or add more cores. Apple's Neural Engine is an element designed to help perform machine learning tasks.
In February, it was reported that the M4 and A18 processors would have more AI compute cores, which would presumably mean Neural Engine.
Gurman's report is plausible, but, codenames aside, it can be easily deduced from educated guesses. It's clear that Apple will be working on the M4 chip, and the move to an annual cycle will help increase the rate at which consumers upgrade their Mac hardware lineup.
The move to three chips could follow the M3 launch sequence that Apple used, releasing the M3 alongside Pro and Max variants at the same time, rather than staggering releases across different years. However, Apple releasing only three chips for the M4 would be a departure from its established range of four chip tiers.
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