Apple announced its top-of-the-line M2 Ultra chip as part of the WWDC 2023 keynote on Monday, pushing Apple silicon to the very limit. The new chip sports impressive technical specs across the line, packing in the largest number of CPU and GPU cores and the highest RAM capacity of any Apple silicon chip yet.
The M2 Ultra chip is currently available as a higher-end configuration for the refreshed Mac Studio and the new Mac Pro with Apple silicon. Like its predecessor, the M2 Ultra is only available with a single CPU configuration of 24 cores. However, users can configure the chip with multiple GPU, RAM, and storage options at an extra cost at the point of purchase, as laid out below:
| Base | Upgrades | Upgrades | Upgrades | |
| GPU | 60-core | 76-core (+$800) | — | — |
| Unified memory | 64GB | 128GB (+$800) | 192GB (+$1,600) | — |
| Storage | 1TB | 2TB (+$400) | 4TB (+$1,000) | 8TB (+2,200) |
The M2 Ultra is based on a second-generation five-nanometer process, comprising two interconnected M2 Max chips via Apple’s UltraFusion technology. Apple states that the chip’s new CPU and GPU offer performance gains of up to 20% and 30% compared to the M1 Ultra. Early benchmarks are expected soon, indicating the new chip’s real-life performance and how well it stacks up to Apple’s claims.
The new M2 Ultra chip powers the high-end configuration of the refreshed Mac Studio and the first Mac Pro with Apple silicon. Both the updated Mac Studio and Mac Pro are available to order now from Apple’s online store, with orders to ship beginning on Tuesday, June 13.
