In essence, the “Extreme” chip would have been a dual M2 Ultra. But it appears that those plans were abandoned due to complexity and cost issues. Gurman continues to claim that Apple is getting ready to introduce a new Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra inside that has a design that allows for the expansion of some components, such as RAM and storage.
Apple’s Upcoming Mac Pro May Include Less RAM Compatibility From Predecessor
According to Gurman, the M2 Extreme chip had issues with cost and production complexity. By abandoning it, TSMC’s silicon fabrication facility is now free to focus on producing higher-volume chips for popular Apple products. Up to 24 CPU cores, 76 GPU cores, and 192 GB of unified RAM are supported by the M2 Ultra processor. Even though 192 GB of RAM will be a lot more than most people’s needs, it’s important to note that this amount is still considerably less than the 1.5 TB of RAM that the 2019 Mac Pro supports. Given that the existing Mac Pro may theoretically be outfitted with four internal graphics cards, it’s also unclear how the 76-core GPU will compare. Gurman claims that the next Mac Pro will maintain expandability choices for RAM, storage, and other components, in addition to what is included in the M2 Ultra processor itself, to make up for that shortcoming: According to Gurman, an M2 Pro Mac mini and M2 Ultra Mac Pro are now undergoing testing and are anticipated to go on sale in 2023. Early in the new year, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro variants made by M2 Pro and M2 Max should soon be available. It is also rumoured that a new Pro Display XDR and second-generation Studio Display are in the works.
