Apple unleashes M1

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Apple announced today the world's most powerful chip and the first specifically designed for the Mac, M1. M1 is optimized for Mac systems where small size and power efficiency are critical. M1 is a system on a chip (SoC) with a unified memory architecture that combines multiple powerful technologies on a single chip. Apple's first personal computer chip, the M1, has 16 billion transistors and is built using the latest 5-nanometer technology. Apple's Mac Pro features the fastest CPU core in low-power silicon, the world's most efficient processor per watt, the fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, and breakthrough machine learning performance with Apple Neural Engine. Compared to previous-generation Macs, M1 delivers up to 3.5x CPU performance, up to 6x GPU performance, and up to 15x machine learning performance. Performance and efficiency have been enhanced to the greatest extent for the Mac ever with M1.

M1 is a revolutionary SoC for Mac. Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, said the new chip builds on Apple's ten years of designing industry-leading chips for iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. As far as low-power silicon is concerned, Apple's M1 has the fastest CPU core, the fastest integrated graphics, and powerful machine learning capabilities. With its unique combination of performance, power, and efficiency, the M1 is by far our best chip yet."

Macs and PCs have traditionally used multiple chips for the CPU, I/O, security, and more. Now with M1, these technologies are combined into a single SoC, delivering a whole new level of integration for greater performance and power efficiency. M1 also features a unified memory architecture that brings together high-bandwidth, low-latency memory into a single pool within a custom package. The SoC can now access the same data without having to copy it between multiple memory pools, further improving performance and efficiency.

M1 is equipped with an eight-core CPU that includes four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. Each of the high-performance cores provides industry-leading performance for single-threaded tasks while operating efficiently. The new low-power CPU cores are the world's fastest in low-power silicon, allowing photographers to edit high-resolution photos faster than ever, and developers to build apps nearly 3x faster than before. And all four can be used together for a huge boost in multithreading performance. 

By themselves, these four high-efficiency cores deliver comparable performance to the current-generation, dual-core MacBook Air at a tenth of the power. The best way to perform lightweight, everyday tasks like checking email and browsing the web without sacrificing battery life is with these devices. In addition, all eight cores are capable of providing incredible computing power for the most demanding tasks while delivering the best CPU performance per watt in the world.

Apple's M1 GPU is Apple's most advanced GPU, based on years of analysis of Mac applications, including everyday apps and demanding professional workflows. In terms of performance and efficiency, the GPU in M1 is unmatched. With eight powerful cores capable of running nearly 25,000 threads simultaneously, the GPU can handle anything from smooth playback of multiple 4K video streams to rendering complex 3D models. The M1 computer has the world's fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, with 2.6 teraflops of processing power.

With the Apple Neural Engine in the M1, machine learning (ML) is greatly accelerated on the Mac. The M1's Neural Engine is powered by Apple's most advanced 16-core architecture, capable of 11 trillion operations per second, enabling up to 15x faster machine learning. With ML accelerators in the CPU and a powerful GPU, the M1 chip is built to excel at machine learning, so tasks like video analysis, voice recognition, and image processing will have a level of performance never seen before on Mac computers.

A number of powerful custom technologies are integrated into the M1 chip, including:

The new image signal processor (ISP) from Apple offers better noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance.

The latest Secure Enclave for best-in-class security.

A high-performance storage controller with AES encryption hardware for faster and more secure SSDs.

Low-power, highly efficient media decoding and encoding engines for long battery life.

A Thunderbolt controller designed by Apple that supports USB 4 and works with more peripherals than ever before.

FaceTime, enhanced by M1.

Apple TV, enhanced by M1.

Thunderbolt compatibility, enhanced by M1.

With M1, things users do every day feel noticeably faster and smoother. Just like the iPhone and iPad, the Mac now offers instant access to all of the capabilities and power of M1. wakes from sleep. Browsing with Safari — which is already the world’s fastest browser — is now up to 1.5x speedier at running JavaScript and nearly 2x more responsive.2

Mac users can now run a broader variety of applications with Big Sur and M1. All Apple's Mac software is now Universal and runs on M1 systems. Existing Mac apps that haven't been updated to Universal will run seamlessly with Apple's Rosetta 2 technology. And iPhone and iPad apps can now run directly on a Mac. Additionally, the foundations of Big Sur have been optimised to unlock the power of M1, including graphics technologies such as Metal and machine learning technologies such as Core ML.

Apple's M1 chip powers the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, making this the strongest Mac lineup ever. This is the first step in a transition to a new chip family designed specifically for Macs. The transition will take about two years, but these three systems are a huge accomplishment.