Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra for a big leap in performance and AI compute

Evidence tier: A1 Evidence type: Auto-discovered official publication Source: Apple Newsroom Official publication date: 2026-08-25 Captured: 2026-08-30T12:34:24.019Z

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PRESS RELEASE August 25, 2026

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today debuted M6 in the new Mac mini and M5 Ultra in the new Mac Studio, providing an extraordinary leap in performance and AI capabilities. M6, Apple’s first state-of-the-art 2-nanometer chip, advances every compute block, delivering gains across every dimension of performance. The chip features a larger 12-core CPU complex with the world’s fastest CPU core, a larger 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, and up to 170GB/s of unified memory bandwidth.1 M5 Ultra, the ultimate powerhouse for pro and AI workloads, uses next-generation UltraFusion technology to form a quad-die architecture for the first time in an M-series system on a chip (SoC). The chip includes an up-to-36-core CPU and up-to-80-core GPU with a massive 1.2TB/s of unified memory bandwidth, 50 percent more than M3 Ultra. With their advanced technologies, these SoCs deliver extraordinary compute with industry-leading power efficiency, empowering users to do even more on a desktop.

“Today, we’re debuting the next giant leap in performance and AI compute for Apple silicon with the incredibly advanced M6 and the most powerful M-series chip yet, M5 Ultra,” said Sri Santhanam, Apple’s vice president of Silicon Engineering Group. “Built using the cutting-edge 2 nm process, M6 combines a new CPU complex, two additional CPU and GPU cores, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, and more unified memory bandwidth to power through workloads with amazing energy efficiency. And for the ultimate desktop performance and the ability to run massive AI models, M5 Ultra features a massive GPU, now with Neural Accelerators, and more unified memory bandwidth, pushing the boundaries of what a desktop can do.”

M6: Optimized Design and Enhanced Performance

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1. Testing was conducted by Apple in August 2026 using shipping competitive systems and select industry-standard benchmarks.
2. Testing was conducted by Apple in August 2026 using preproduction Mac mini with M6 with 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, and 32GB of memory; 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 with 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 32GB of memory; and Mac mini with M1 with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16GB of memory. Performance was measured using select industry‑standard benchmarks. Performance tests were conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac mini. See apple.com/mac-mini for more information.
3. Testing was conducted by Apple in August 2026 using preproduction Mac Studio with M5 Ultra with 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and 256GB of memory; Mac Studio with M3 Ultra with 32-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and 256GB of memory; and Mac Studio with M1 Ultra with 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU, and 64GB of memory. Performance was measured using select industry‑standard benchmarks. Performance tests were conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Studio. See apple.com/mac-studio for more information.
4. Apple Intelligence features are currently available for testing through the Apple Beta Software Program, and will be available with macOS 27 this fall for users with an Apple Intelligence-enabled device set to a supported language. Apple Intelligence is available with support for these languages: English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Japanese, and Korean. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. For feature and language availability and system requirements, see apple.com/apple-intelligence.