Apple is testing the M3 Pro chip

Ever since Apple proclaimed the launch of its self-developed M-series chips in 2020, supplanting the traditional x86 processors across its product line, the move has had profound repercussions on the development of the entire industry. Despite previous reports suggesting that Apple, due to production issues with TSMC, did not plan to release the M3 chip this year, deferring its debut until 2024, the incorporation of the 3nm process has filled many with anticipation for the M3 series.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is currently engaged in testing the M3 Pro chip, equipped with twelve cores in the CPU – comprising six performance cores and six efficiency cores – along with eighteen cores in the GPU, and an on-board memory of 36GB. In addition to the M3 and M3 Pro, Apple is expected to unveil the M3 Max and M3 Ultra in the future, which will undoubtedly be superior in specifications. Rumor has it that the M3 Max will possess fourteen CPU cores and forty GPU cores, while the M3 Ultra will boast twenty-eight CPU cores and eighty GPU cores.

It is understood that developers are testing systems based on the M3 Pro to ensure compatibility with third-party applications, a common and reliable step prior to Apple’s introduction of a new chip. Utilizing TSMC’s 3nm process will allow Apple to incorporate more transistors, provide more cores, and possibly boost frequency within the same chip size, with architectural enhancements highly probable.

Information suggests that the first batch of Mac products equipped with the M3 chip will hit the market in early 2024, appearing in the iMac, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air product lines. Apple recently announced the financial report for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, showing MacBook product line revenues of $7.168 billion, a 31% decrease from the previous year. The performance of the M2 series chips has not lived up to expectations, and Apple may be pinning its hopes on the M3 series chips and new Mac products to boost sales.