Apple Unveils High-Performance PC 'Mac Studio' Featuring 'M1 Ultra'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Apple unveiled the 'M1 Ultra,' an ultra-high-performance computer chip, along with the high-performance PC 'Mac Studio' equipped with it.

On the 8th (local time), Apple introduced new products at a 'Special Event' streamed online from its headquarters, Apple Park, in Cupertino, California, USA.

The M1 Ultra is the latest version of the high-performance, high-efficiency system-on-chip (SoC?a technologically advanced semiconductor that integrates multiple system functions into a single chip) designed for laptops and PCs, known as the M1.

The M1 Ultra was created by connecting two M1 Max chips using Apple's proprietary packaging architecture called UltraFusion. Typically, chip connections are made via the motherboard, which generally results in increased latency, reduced bandwidth, and higher power consumption. UltraFusion uses a silicon interposer that transmits over 10,000 signals to connect the chips, providing a low-latency inter-processor bandwidth of 2.5TB (terabytes) per second. This bandwidth is more than four times greater than that of conventional multi-chip interconnect technology. Apple stated that this allows the M1 Ultra to operate as a single chip, and software recognizes it as such, maximizing performance.

The SoC consists of 114 billion transistors, the highest number ever in a PC chip released to date. The M1 Ultra features a 20-core CPU, 64-core graphics processing unit (GPU), 32-core Neural Engine, and up to 128GB of high-bandwidth, low-latency unified memory. Apple explained that developers can perform code compiling, and artists can work in large-scale 3D environments that were previously impossible to render.

The M1 Ultra includes a 20-core CPU composed of 16 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores. It delivers 90% higher multi-threaded performance compared to the fastest 16-core PC desktop chip within the same power envelope. Moreover, it consumes 100 watts less power while achieving the same maximum performance as PC chips.

For tasks requiring high-end graphics such as 3D rendering or sophisticated image processing, the M1 Ultra is equipped with a 64-core GPU, eight times larger than that of the M1. The unified memory architecture has also been expanded with the M1 Ultra, offering a memory bandwidth of 800GB (gigabytes) per second, which is ten times higher than the latest PC desktop chips.

Johnny Srouji, Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, stated, "The M1 Ultra is another game-changer for Apple Silicon, delivering a shock to the PC industry once again. The M1 Ultra completes the M1 family and is the most powerful and capable chip ever made for PCs."

Apple also unveiled the desktop PC Mac Studio. Made from a single piece of aluminum, the Mac Studio measures 19.7cm in length and 9.5cm in height. Apple explained, "Mac Studio achieves high performance based on an innovative thermal management design," adding, "The unique system, consisting of dual-sided fans, precisely arranged airflow channels, and over 4,000 perforations on the external rear and bottom, guides airflow through the internal structure to cool the high-performance chips." Users can perform large-scale 3D environment rendering and playback of 18 ProRes video streams using Mac Studio.

For the Mac Studio equipped with the M1 Ultra, CPU performance is up to 3.8 times faster than the fastest 10-core iMac 27 and up to 90% faster than the Mac Pro with a 16-core Xeon processor. GPU performance is up to 4.5 times faster than the iMac 27 and up to 80% faster than the fastest Mac Pro.

Connectivity with external devices has also been enhanced. The rear includes four Thunderbolt 4 ports, one 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, and a professional audio jack, while the front features two USB-C ports and an SD card slot. The price of the Mac Studio starts at 2,690,000 KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.