Apple reveals M1 Ultra, a ‘monster’ chip that is its most powerful processor yet

(Apple)

Apple has revealed the M1 Ultra, a new processor that it says is a “monster”.

The processor is extra powerful because Apple’s chips have included a “secret” feature that it has not yet spoken about, the company said.

Apple introduced the first chip it had made for itself, known as the M1, at the end of 2020. It came in a new MacBook Pro and Air and Mac Mini.

Then, last year, it released the M1 Pro and Max, which were more powerful versions of that processor. They were revealed in new, redesigned versions of the MacBook Pro.

The M1 Ultra is even more powerful than those chips, it claimed. In fact, it is made by stitching two M1 Max chips together, Apple said.

Apple could do so because it built the M1 Max with special features that could allow two of the chips to be hooked together while maintaining high performance and efficiency, Apple claimed. It did so in secret, designing the M1 Max with that aim but not revealing it in last year’s announcement, it said.

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The M1 Ultra looks like one processor to software, meaning that no changes will be required for developers to get the most out of it, Apple said.

All of that means that the M1 Ultra is more powerful than the most powerful competing processors – all while using less power, Apple said.

“It’s the most powerful and capable chip ever for a personal computer,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s processor lead, in the announcement event.