Apple might have ditched plans for an M4 Extreme chip in favor of AI - and I think that's for the best

(Image credit: Apple)

According to a new report, Apple is developing a new AI chip in collaboration with Broadcom
Apple's new focus on AI reportedly led to it canceling an unnamed 'high-performance' Mac chip
This canceled chip is believed to have been an 'Extreme' variant

Apple Mac fans hoping for a souped-up M4 Extreme chip in a future Mac Pro or Mac Studio might be disappointed, as according to a (paywalled) report from The Information, Apple shelved its plans for Extreme chips a while back.

The report actually focuses on a new claim that Apple has entered a partnership with semiconductor company Broadcom to develop a new AI chip - most likely to help improve the performance of Apple Intelligence on iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices. But the report also notes this little nugget of information regarding the development of this mysterious AI chip:

"Apple this past summer canceled the development of a high-performance chip for Macs — consisting of four smaller chips stitched together — to free up some of its engineers in Israel to work on the AI chip."

A high-performance Mac chip made from four smaller chips stitched together certainly sounds like the long-rumoured M-series Extreme chip. Given Apple's newfound focus on AI features, it's not surprising that it might have shifted efforts away from any potential high-end Mac chips to developing new silicon for AI uses.

A shift in tactics for Apple?

As John Gruber at Daring Fireball notes, it's actually quite possible that the unnamed canceled Mac chip was actually slated for the M5 (or even the M6) generation of Apple silicon. After all, Apple's M4 chip is already available in standard, Pro, and Max configurations, and it's highly likely that we'll see an M4 Ultra chip next year if Apple decides to give the Mac Studio or the Mac Pro a hardware refresh - both of these devices skipped the M3 generation, after all - not unlike the Mac mini.

I've long been something of an AI skeptic, but I can't say this is a dumb move from Apple; the high-performance Mac Studio and Mac Pro only account for a tiny percentage of Mac sales, and quite frankly, an Extreme chip would be overkill. Meanwhile, Apple Intelligence has become a key new feature in the Apple software ecosystem, so supporting it with improved silicon is a good call.

We never got an M3 Ultra chip, so M4 Ultra feels like a foregone conclusion at this point. Apple has shown a few times that it's comfortable skipping generations with both products and chips; when sales aren't as significant for a high-end product (as they are with more popular devices like the iPhone and MacBook Air), there's no sense in releasing a new model every single year - especially not when those high-end devices can cost thousands of dollars.

So I'm not bothered by the news that Apple's Extreme chips might be permanently off the docket. They're simply unnecessary, especially when on-device AI has the potential to unlock greater performance in Mac devices anyway; I mean, just look at what Nvidia has achieved since shifting its focus towards AI processing in its GPUs. Let's just hope that this mysterious new AI chip - codenamed 'Baltra' - is worth it.

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Christian is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing Editor. He came to us from Maximum PC magazine, where he fell in love with computer hardware and building PCs. He was a regular fixture amongst our freelance review team before making the jump to TechRadar, and can usually be found drooling over the latest high-end graphics card or gaming laptop before looking at his bank account balance and crying.

Christian is a keen campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and the owner of a charming rescue dog named Lucy, having adopted her after he beat cancer in 2021. She keeps him fit and healthy through a combination of face-licking and long walks, and only occasionally barks at him to demand treats when he’s trying to work from home.