WWDC 2023 | Apple M2 Ultra unveiled with a 76-core GPU, 24-core CPU and support for up to 192 GB of memory ^↺

The second generation of Apple Silicon chips is finally complete, with Apple officially unveiling the M2 Ultra. It isn't nearly as grand as speculated by earlier leaks, but it has an impressive spec sheet nonetheless. Like its predecessor (Apple M1 Ultra), it stacks two M2 Max chips side-by-side via Apple's UltraFusion interconnect, which Apple claims offers up to 2.5 TB/s of bandwidth.

Apple claims the M2 Ultra's 24-core CPU is up to 20% faster than its predecessor. It packs 16 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores. Similarly, its 76-core GPU outperforms its antecedent by up to 30%. Lastly, its 32-core neural engine has gotten 40% better (31.6 TOPS). One can configure the chip with up to 192 GB of memory operating at 800 GB/s.

The Apple M2 Ultra-powered supports video output at 8K 240 Hz. Alternatively, it can power up to six Apple Pro Display XDRs simultaneously. Other connectivity options include Thunderbolt, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Supported video formats include H.264, HEVC, and ProRes.

Apple claims the M2 Ultra can play 22 streams of 8K ProRes streams simultaneously. Other than that, there has been virtually no mention of its performance, suggesting that its performance uplift is only marginal in the real world. While not explicitly specified, the chip is likely manufactured on TSMC's N4P process, which is probably why the performance gains aren't as impressive.