Apple's M4 chips have only just arrived on the latest MacBook Air M4, but there's now word the tech giant is already developing M6, M7 and beyond — with the goal of bringing Apple Intelligence into focus.
Next-gen custom processors from Apple are reportedly in the works, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), and they're set to power upcoming Macs, AI servers and even rumored Apple smart glasses. The chips for Mac are expected to arrive after Apple M5 chips, which will likely be announced this year.
Several chips are said to be in development, including codename "Komodo," which is tipped to be M6 processors, "Borneo" for M7 chips and "Sotra," an advanced Mac chip set to arrive sometime further down the line. With this in mind, there's reason to believe we'll see M6 debut next year, with M7 in 2027 and so forth.
Considering the performance bumps we've seen in M4 benchmarks compared to previous Apple processors, we can expect major gains.
There's no telling how advanced these chips will be, especially for future AI features. However, considering the performance bumps we've seen in M4 benchmarks compared to previous Apple processors, we can expect major gains.
That's not all, as the Cupertino tech giant is also working on specialized chips for AI servers, which will be the "first processors expressly made for that purpose." This is part of project "Baltra," with the chips being made to process Apple Intelligence requests remotely and having up to eight times the CPUs and GPUs in the current M3 Ultra chip.
The AI server-specific processors are expected to be finished by 2027, so there's still a few years until we start seeing major, streamlined improvements to Apple Intelligence on our devices. Currently, Apple uses high-end chips such as the M2 Ultra to power AI servers.
A much-needed boost for Apple Intelligence
While there are plenty of Apple Intelligence features on Mac that come in handy, such as its writing tools and audio recording summarize, it arguably hasn't been the game-changer Apple has been hoping for.
However, with these new chips aiming to power more advanced AI features, we may see more use cases from Apple Intelligence. As it stands, even iPhone owners are rarely using Apple's AI features.
As we see Apple bring out more chips with higher processing power and capabilities for new AI features, Apple Intelligence could become more of an essential rather than a bonus on iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and more.
For now, it will be a while before we see these rumored chips. In the meantime, we can look forward to Apple’s rumored M5 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, which may be here before the end of the year.
More from Tom's Guide
- Microsoft's new Surface Pro takes a page from Apple's playbook, and I couldn't be happier
- MacBook Air M4 benchmarks are here — here's how it compares to the MacBook Pro, Windows laptops and more
- I just played Cyberpunk 2077 on my iPad Pro — and the results match a powerful gaming PC
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