Apple Unveils M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips to Boost AI Performance and Professional Workflows
Since replacing Intel processors with its in-house M1 chip in 2020, Apple has continued to control Mac performance through unified memory and tight hardware-software integration. With the rise of generative AI, on-device computing has become increasingly important for privacy, latency and cloud costs. The M5 Pro and M5 Max are therefore crucial to expanding Apple Intelligence and professional creative workflows.
Apple unveiled the M5 Pro and M5 Max on March 3, 2026. The chips combine two third-generation 3-nanometer dies and offer up to an 18-core CPU and a 40-core GPU. Peak GPU performance for AI workloads is more than four times that of the previous generation. In Taiwan, the 14-inch M5 Pro MacBook Pro starts at NT$74,900, while the M5 Max model starts at NT$119,900. A release date has yet to be announced.
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The history behind this eventApple Unveils 2-Nanometer M6 Chip to Boost On-Device AI
Apple’s M-series processors underpin its strategy of tightly integrating Mac hardware and software while shifting demanding artificial-intelligence tasks onto devices. The M6, Apple’s first chip built on a 2-nanometer process, is designed to deliver higher performance per watt for workloads including generative AI, image processing and 3D rendering, reducing reliance on cloud computing for advanced models.
The newly announced M6 features a 12-core CPU and two 16-core Neural Engines, expanding the dedicated compute available for on-device AI. Apple is introducing the processor in updated Mac mini and Mac Studio models, with higher-memory configurations aimed at developers and creative professionals running large AI models, 3D rendering software and other compute-intensive applications locally.
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