We have recently covered the M5 chip's release timeline for Macs, and it appears that the company will not introduce the chip with an upgraded iPad Pro. Instead, Apple aims to mass-produce the chips in the second half of next year, and the MacBook Pro models will be the first devices to get them. Today, analyst Mng-Chi Kuo shared some interesting details on the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, suggesting that the M5 chip will feature a separate CPU and GPU design.
One of the key elements of Apple's M series chips is the System-on-a-chip design, which integrates all the components in a single package. Apple appears to be shifting from this approach with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, as the CPU and GPU will be designed separately instead of being packaged on a single chip. The company has a good reason for this approach, as it would boost computational and graphical performance while being more power efficient.
Apple introduced the System-on-a-chip approach with the iPhone's A series, and then the process was ported over to the Mac's M series of chips. The chip contains the CPU and GPU in a single package, allowing the company to not only save space but offer better performance. It was found out that the CPU and GPU on the current chips are two different chips, tightly packed together with circuits on a single chip.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will utilize TSMC's advanced chip packaging technology called SoIC-MH or System-on-Integrated-Chips-Molding-Horizontal for the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra. This means that the company will integrate various chips in a single package that bolsters better thermal performance, ultimately boosting performance and efficiency. It also allows the chip to run at full capacity for longer before being throttled. The analyst also coins that the new technique will reportedly increase the production yields with fewer chips failing to meet the cut and Apple's standards.
The M5 series chips will adopt TSMC's advanced N3P node, which entered the prototype phase a few months ago. M5, M5 Pro/Max, and M5 Ultra mass production is expected in 1H25, 2H25, and 2026, respectively.
The M5 Pro, Max, and Ultra will utilize server-grade SoIC packaging. Apple will use 2.5D packaging called SoIC-mH (molding horizontal) to improve production yields and thermal performance, featuring separate CPU and GPU designs.
It remains to be seen if Apple will use the same approach for its A series of chips for the iPhone and while there were similar rumors, we believe that the company will not make a direct jump next year and will probably start small, like separating the RAM. The same chips will also power Apple's servers for Apple Intelligence for faster cloud-based performance. Do you think Apple will separate the CPU and GPU on its A series of chips as well?