Apple has unveiled the M5 chip — the latest evolution of Apple Silicon and its most powerful yet — marking a major leap in AI and graphics performance across the company’s device lineup. Built on third-generation 3-nanometer technology, M5 introduces a groundbreaking GPU architecture with dedicated Neural Accelerators in each core, pushing GPU-based AI performance to more than four times that of M4.

The M5 will power the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro, all of which are available for pre-order starting today.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, described the M5 as “the next big leap in AI performance for Apple silicon.” He added: “With the introduction of Neural Accelerators in the GPU, M5 delivers a huge boost to AI workloads. Combined with a faster Neural Engine, the world’s fastest CPU core, and higher unified memory bandwidth, M5 brings more power and capability to every Apple device it drives.”

A Next-Generation GPU Optimized for AI and Graphics

At the heart of M5 is a new 10-core GPU design, with a Neural Accelerator built into every core. This enables AI-driven tasks — such as image generation, local language model inference, and real-time rendering — to run dramatically faster. The chip achieves up to 4x higher peak GPU compute performance than M4 and up to 6x higher than M1.

Enhanced shader cores and a third-generation ray-tracing engine deliver up to 45% better graphics performance than M4, providing smoother gameplay and more realistic visuals. A re-engineered caching system further boosts performance for creative apps, 3D workflows, and high-fidelity rendering.

For Apple Vision Pro, M5 enables the micro-OLED display to render 10% more pixels at up to 120Hz refresh rates, producing sharper, more fluid visuals with reduced motion blur.

A Faster Neural Engine for AI-Driven Experiences

The upgraded 16-core Neural Engine complements the GPU’s new accelerators, delivering faster performance with high energy efficiency. It powers Apple Intelligence features such as Image Playground and real-time generative AI tools on iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. On Apple Vision Pro, AI-powered features like transforming 2D photos into spatial images and generating Personas run smoother and faster.

Developers using Apple’s Foundation Models and Core ML frameworks will also benefit from the chip’s improved AI throughput and higher memory bandwidth.

Smarter Memory Architecture

M5’s unified memory bandwidth has increased nearly 30%, reaching 153GB/s — more than double that of M1. The unified memory system lets the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine access the same pool of data, reducing latency and enabling faster collaboration between subsystems.

With up to 32GB of memory capacity, users can run multiple demanding applications — such as Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, and large AI models — simultaneously without performance drops.

Designed for Efficiency and Sustainability

As part of Apple’s 2030 carbon-neutral goal, M5’s efficiency contributes to lower total energy consumption across all devices it powers. The chip’s design balances performance with sustainability, reducing energy use without sacrificing processing power.

Availability

The new M5-powered MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro are available for pre-order now on Apple.com and through authorized resellers. Shipments begin later this month.