Apple’s M7 Ultra-Based Server Chip to Reportedly Offer Up to 1.5TB Memory, Enhanced Neural Processing

Apple, in 2020, launched its first proprietary M1 chipset with the MacBook Air (2020), moving away from Macs powered by Intel processors. A year earlier, the Cupertino-based tech giant launched the Mac Pro desktop, configurable up to 1.5TB of RAM. Since then, the company has not launched a Mac with the same memory, which was also marked by its move to the unified memory architecture for the M series processors. Now, the tech giant is reportedly working on a new server chipset, based on the unreleased M7 Ultra processor, which could offer the same RAM capacity as the 2019-launched Mac Pro. This comes after rumours regarding the Apple Silicon lineup overhaul surfaced online.

Apple Silicon M7 Series Was Reportedly Accelerated Due to AI

In the latest edition of his weekly newsletter ‘Power On', Bloomberg's Mark Gurman writes that Apple is currently developing two new chipsets for AI servers based on the unreleased M5 Ultra and M7 Ultra processors. These two chipsets will reportedly be foundational to Apple's future AI server strategy. The M5 Ultra-based chipset, bearing the codename J246, will reportedly be deployed soon.

Meanwhile, the M7 Ultra-based chipset could be deployed by 2029 with support for up to 1.5TB of memory, reaching the same RAM capacity as the 2019-launched Mac Pro, which was shipped with an Intel processor. Interestingly, the Cupertino-based tech giant has also begun developing the M8 series chipsets, which might offer improved AI performance over the Apple Silicon M7 family, according to the report. The M8 lineup might include a processor codenamed “Soko”, which could be launched in 2028.

Recently, a report highlighted that the Tim Cook-led tech giant is planning a major overhaul of the Apple Silicon strategy, too. As part of its refreshed strategy, the company is reportedly planning to skip the launch of the higher-end M6 series chips, namely M6 Pro and M6 Max. Instead, its focus has reportedly been shifted towards the development of the M7 series chips.

Now, Gurman claims that Apple has made the decision because of AI. Apple's M7 series processors will reportedly offer “major neural-processing upgrades”. These upgrades were reportedly “important enough” to justify the acceleration of next-generation processors. On top of this, the rumoured M7 Ultra chipset is said to deliver significant improvements in terms of AI performance, which might bring it closer to Nvidia's Blackwell AI accelerators.

Apple reportedly began developing the M7 series processor six months after the development of the M6 family of chipsets began. The standard M7 lineup is expected to be launched in the first half of 2027. Meanwhile, the M7 Pro and M7 Max SoCs could arrive at the end of 2027. Lastly, the M7 Ultra processor will reportedly be launched in 2028.