Apple's M5 Ultra chip delivers 4x AI speed boost and up to 512GB memory

Apple unveiled the M5 Ultra, its most powerful chip to date, featuring an 80-core GPU and a 36-core CPU. It offers four times faster LLM prompt performance than the M3 Ultra and supports up to 512GB of unified memory, enabling local execution of massive AI models. The chip also adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and six Thunderbolt 5 ports, driving up to eight external displays.

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The M5 Ultra pairs two M5 Max dies in a quad-die architecture, effectively doubling the core counts of its predecessor. Its 512GB unified memory ceiling allows large language models to run entirely on-device, eliminating cloud dependency. Connectivity upgrades include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and six Thunderbolt 5 ports delivering 120Gb/s, enough bandwidth to drive eight external monitors or four Studio Display XDR panels at 5K resolution with 120Hz refresh.

Apple shifted its announcement schedule, unveiling these desktops in August rather than the typical October or spring window. Pricing rose $100 across base models, with the Mac Studio M5 Ultra starting at $5,499. The company appears to be reserving the M6 chip for MacBook Pro laptops expected this fall, aligning with its new device leasing program and a strategy of allocating premium processor inventory to specific