Joe Rossignol
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today outlined a timeline for mass production of the M5 series of chips, which he expects to be used in both future Mac computers and Apple Intelligence servers. Production will likely begin next year.
Kuo expects the standard M5 chip to enter mass production in the first half of 2025, followed by the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips in the second half of the year. Then he expects the M5 Ultra chip to enter mass production in 2026.
So nothing surprising.
The timing suggests that the M5 Macs will launch in the same order as the M4 Macs. Apple will likely refresh the MacBook Pro line with the M5 series chips in October next year, and the MacBook Air should get the M5 chip in the first half of 2026. Apple will likely refresh the Mac Studio and Mac Pro later in 2026 or in 2027. It’s unclear whether the iMac and Mac mini will be refreshed next year, as those models aren’t always refreshed annually.
The M4 Macs were released in a similar fashion. Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini with the M4 series chips in October, and the MacBook Air is expected to be refreshed by the end of March next year. Mac Studio and Mac Pro models with M4 Max and/or M4 Ultra chips are expected to launch in mid- to late 2025.
As previously suggested, Kuo said the M5 series chips will be manufactured using TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P. This will result in the usual year-over-year improvements in performance and power efficiency over the M4 series of chips.
Apple's intelligence servers currently run on the M2 Ultra chip, and are expected to start using the M4 series chips next year. Beyond that, Kuo said Apple will eventually transition to high-end M5 server chips that are better suited for AI inference. He said the chips would also be manufactured using the N3P process, offer improved thermals, and feature a separate CPU and GPU design.
Related Reviews: MacBook Air, Mac ProTags: M5, Ming-Chi KuoBuyer's Guide: 13-inch MacBook Air (Beware), Mac Pro (Neutral)Related Forums: MacBook Air, Mac Pro[ 76 comments ]
