Apple’s M5 chip pushes AI performance with new ‘Neural Accelerators’

Like the Watch, Apple has introduced a new M-series chip on updated versions of iPad Pro, MacBook Pro For the first time, Apple Vision Pro. The new M5 chip shares a lot of similarities with the new M5 chip M4 chip Apple has been introduced in 2024, but the biggest focus seems to be on improving graphics performance and AI.

The M5 chip is made using a new third-generation 3nm process, according to Apple, with an updated 10-core GPU architecture in all versions that delivers four times the maximum GPU compute performance of the M4, while carrying support for things like hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The M5 also features a 10-core CPU, just like the M4, with six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores.

That is, unless you’re buying an M5 iPad Pro. The 1TB and 2TB Pro models feature a 10-core CPU and GPU, but if you opt for the smaller 256GB or 512GB storage size, you’ll get a nine-core CPU with six efficiency cores and three performance cores. Apple says the 10-core CPU delivers “up to 15 percent faster multi-threaded performance” compared to the M4 chip, though it’s not clear whether that’s due to CPU or memory improvements. That’s because the new chip offers improved memory bandwidth of up to 153GB/s, compared to the starting 120GB/s bandwidth on the M4, though that’s less than what you can get with an M4 chip. M4 Pro or M4 Max. Apple will likely release M5 versions of both chips next year, but it’s worth knowing what you’ll be missing out on if you opt for the M5 now.

The performance gains that Apple has been able to extract from its new GPU and improved memory bandwidth appear to be the biggest changes that users will actually notice from the M5. This includes “up to 30 percent faster” graphics performance than the M4 and “up to a 45 percent graphics increase in applications using ray tracing.” Apple introduced the M4 with a focus on dynamic caching and ray tracing, and the M5 seems to make both graphics processes more efficient. The gains appear to be even more pronounced on the M5 Vision Pro, as the headset can achieve a 120Hz refresh rate, up from the 100Hz maximum Apple previously promised, and is now capable of displaying “10 percent more pixels.”

AI performance has also been improved, but not necessarily thanks to the M5’s 16-core neural engine alone, which appears to be the same neural engine used in the M4. Instead, Apple is taking a new approach to processing AI by including custom “neural accelerators” in each core of its GPU. This additional assistance has resulted in faster performance when devices use Apple Intelligence skills or AI-powered features such as Vision Pro’s ability to create a character, according to Apple.

In-depth testing and benchmarking of Apple’s new M5 hardware will be needed to accurately capture how the M5 chip changes things, especially when it comes to overall CPU performance. However, for now, Apple’s chips continue to get more powerful graphically, which bodes well for anyone using MacBooks and iPads for creative tasks, AI, or gaming.