Apple unveils M5 Pro/Max
Apple unveiled the M5 Pro and M5 Max as part of a Fusion Architecture push — the chips target pro workflows with big gains in CPU, GPU and on-device ML. Analysts and engineers note cluster-to-cluster latency drops of roughly 30%, helping multi-core performance even as designs shift toward efficiency [cores [analysis]](https://x.com/ronnybrendel/status/2032382756403949662).
The M5 Pro/Max pair an 18‑core CPU (six “super” cores plus 12 performance cores) with an up‑to‑40‑core GPU and put a dedicated Neural Accelerator inside every GPU core, according to Apple’s announcement. businesswire.com Memory ceilings jump: M5 Pro supports up to 64 GB of unified memory at ~307 GB/s while M5 Max scales to 128 GB with up to 614 GB/s of bandwidth, and Apple says the chips include a faster 16‑core Neural Engine for on‑device AI. apple.com Pre‑orders opened March 4 with shipments starting March 11, and the new MacBook Pro configurations start at $2,199 for the 14‑inch and $2,699 for the 16‑inch models. macworld.com Apple built the M5 Pro/Max by bonding two third‑generation 3‑nm dies into a single SoC using advanced packaging, a strategy analysts say lets Apple mix GPU die sizes for yield control, and industry reporting names TSMC’s N3 family and packaging partners ASE, Amkor and JCET in the production chain. apple.com
