Apple fast-tracks AI-focused M7 chip for 2027, skips high-end M6 Pro and Max variants

Apple will skip its high-end M6 Mac chips and fast-track an AI-focused M7 generation for 2027, report claims -- may release a base M6 chip for entry-level Macs this year

Pro, Max, and Ultra tiers move to the M7 line as Apple chases memory bandwidth for on-device AI. Apple will release a base M6 chip for entry-level Macs this year but skip the Pro and Max versions of that generation, jumping instead to an accelerated M7 family built around on-device AI, according to a report from Bloomberg. It's the first time since the M1 that a generation would arrive without higher-end variants, and it pulls the M7 forward by as much as six months, with Pro and Max parts now due in late 2027 and an Ultra in 2028. The M6, codenamed Komodo, is set for entry-level machines, including a refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro, which has seen unprecedented price rises to $1,999. According to the report, which quotes individuals who asked not to be named, it reaches around 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth against 153 GB/s on the M5, with a redesigned GPU carrying up to 12 cores, up from 10. Every family from the M1 through the M5 paired its base silicon with Pro and Max derivatives, and three of them also gained an Ultra. The base M7, codenamed Delos, targets roughly 240 GB/s and could come in the first half of 2027, with the Pro, Max, and Ultra parts grouped internally under the Andros codename. Apple is fast-tracking the line to meet demand for on-device AI and heavier graphics work. Apple has declined to comment, and none of the specifications or dates have been confirmed by the company. Memory bandwidth dictates how fast a chip can move the large data blocks, the main bottleneck for AI inference, and the climb from 153 GB/s to 200 GB/s to a planned 240 GB/s is a roughly 56% bandwidth increase from M5 to base M7. Those are figures for the base parts. The current M3 Ultra already delivers up to 819 GB/s by fusing two Max dies, which is why the high-end tiers, not the base chips, carry the heaviest local-AI workloads. The M6 also reportedly pairs an upgraded Neural Engine with faster GPU and CPU cores. Apple is still planning to release an M5 Ultra this year, codenamed Sotra, with around 36 CPU cores, 80 GPU cores, and tested support for up to 768GB of unified memory. It would refresh a Mac Studio that currently runs the M3 Ultra, after Apple skipped an M4 Ultra altogether. That 768 GB ceiling sits against a current M3 Ultra Mac Studio capped at 96 GB, after Apple pulled its 512 GB tier and raised the 96 GB-to-256 GB upgrade to $2,000, then dropped the 128GB option as well. Whether the highest M5 Ultra memory tiers reach buyers depends on supply constraints; those haven't eased and are unlikely to in the near future. Apple raised prices across its Mac and iPad lines on Thursday, part of a crunch that outgoing CEO Tim Cook called a "hundred-year flood" in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, blaming AI server demand for pulling high-bandwidth memory away from consumer hardware. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Apple M7 chips: it's skipping the high-end M6

Apple is breaking its own playbook. It will skip the high-end versions of its M6 chip and leap to an AI-focused M7 line. Apple M7 chips, not the M6, will power its best Macs from 2027. Apple has changed how it rolls out Mac chips, and the shift is bigger than it sounds. The company will release a base M6 processor as early as this year for entry-level Macs. For the first time, though, it will not make Pro or Max versions of that chip. Those higher-end parts will instead arrive in 2027 as part of a new M7 generation, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the plans. Apple, currently on its M5 series, declined to comment. The change matters because it breaks a pattern Apple has held since 2020. Every family from M1 to M5 shipped with Pro and Max variants. The M1, M2 and M3 even gained a top-tier Ultra. An M-series generation with only a base chip is a first. The split matters because of which machines use which chip. Apple's Pro and Max parts drive its high-end Mac minis, Mac Studios and MacBook Pros. The base chips power entry-level MacBook Pros, cheaper Mac minis and iMacs, plus some iPad Pro and iPad Air models. Skipping the high-end M6, then, holds back Apple's most demanding computers, not its cheapest. Why Apple is leapfrogging The official logic is speed. Apple wants to fast-track technology it had planned for later. The aim is to meet demand for on-device AI and heavier graphics work. The M7 line, the people said, is built primarily around on-device AI processing. There is a less flattering reading, too. The whole industry is wrestling with a chip and memory shortage that has pushed up costs, squeezed margins and forced delays. Apple raised prices on every current Mac and iPad on the same day this roadmap leaked. A tidy "AI fast-track" story is also a convenient frame for a roadmap reshaped by scarcity. What the M6 actually brings The base M6 is no minor update. Apple has tested it in a refreshed entry-level MacBook Pro, code-named J804, and built it to lead its class. Internally, the chip goes by Komodo. The headline gain is memory bandwidth, a measure of how fast a chip moves data, which matters more than ever for AI. The M6 is set to reach about 200GB/s, up from roughly 153GB/s on the M5. It pairs that with a new memory architecture, an upgraded neural engine for AI tasks, and faster cores across the board. A redesigned graphics processor adds up to 12 cores, two more than the M5, to juggle AI and rendering at once. The long wait for Pro power The catch is timing. Apple plans the base M7 as early as the first half of 2027. The M7 Pro and Max could follow as late as the end of that year. The M7 Ultra, the chip behind the most powerful Mac Studio, is not due until 2028. The base M7 is slated for about 240GB/s of bandwidth. So anyone who wants Apple's fastest silicon faces a real wait. A buyer eyeing a top MacBook Pro or Mac Studio has two options. Settle for an M5-era machine, or hold out well into 2027, and to 2028 for the Ultra. One stopgap remains. Apple still plans an M5 Ultra. It should arrive as early as this year in a new Mac Studio, one that slipped because of supply and cost pressure. The chip is no slouch, with around 36 processing cores and 80 graphics cores. Apple has tested it with up to 768GB of memory. Yet the squeeze is real. Apple has cut new orders of the existing M3 Ultra Mac Studio from 512GB to just 96GB. A bet on in-house AI silicon The reshuffle lands at a sensitive moment. Apple's chips are its sharpest edge over rivals that lean on Intel and Qualcomm. The silicon team now reports to Johny Srouji, newly promoted to chief hardware officer. John Ternus, meanwhile, is moving toward the chief executive role. The Mac is only part of it. Apple is also said to be moving iPhone chips to a 2-nanometre process. Fresh silicon is coming for a foldable phone due this year, and for 20th-anniversary iPhones in 2027. Designing its own chips remains the company's core advantage, which is exactly why a roadmap this scrambled is worth watching. The throughline is AI. Apple is rebuilding its chip plan around on-device intelligence. It is doing so while a shortage reshapes what it can ship, and when. Whether that leaves Pro users patient or frustrated is the question the next two years will settle.

You may have to wait until 2027 for Macs with Apple's best chips

If you've been holding off on buying a new MacBook Pro because the next generation of Apple Silicon is just around the corner, you might want to reset your expectations. A new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests Apple is making its biggest change yet to the Mac chip roadmap. Instead of releasing a full family of M6 processors like it has with every generation since the original M1, the company is reportedly planning to launch only the standard M6 chip first. The more powerful Pro and Max variants? They may not arrive until 2027, and they'll reportedly skip the M6 branding altogether. Apple's roadmap is taking an expected detour For years, Apple's silicon strategy has been wonderfully predictable. A new generation would arrive with a standard chip, followed by Pro, Max, and sometimes Ultra variants powering the company's higher-end Macs. That consistency may be about to disappear. According to the report, Apple wants to fast-track an AI-focused chip architecture rather than spend time releasing the M6 Pro and M6 Max processors. The result could be an unusual gap in which entry-level Macs receive an M6 upgrade, while premium MacBook Pros, Mac Studios, and Mac minis continue to rely on the current M5 generation until the M7 lineup is ready. It's a bold move, but one that reflects where the industry is headed. AI workloads are becoming just as important as raw CPU performance, and Apple appears determined to optimize its next flagship chips around that reality rather than simply delivering another annual refresh. The wait could bring more than just faster performance If the report is accurate, the M6 itself won't be a minor update. It's expected to feature significantly higher memory bandwidth, a redesigned GPU, an upgraded Neural Engine, and architectural improvements aimed squarely at AI tasks, video editing, and graphics-heavy workloads. The bigger leap, however, is reportedly reserved for the M7 family. Apple is said to be designing its next-generation Pro, Max, and Ultra chips with on-device AI as a primary focus. That could translate into faster local AI models, smoother creative workflows, and better multitasking without relying on cloud processing. The downside is obvious -- power users hoping for a new MacBook Pro powered by an M6 Pro or M6 Max may simply never get one. It's worth remembering that none of this has been officially confirmed by Apple. But if the roadmap holds, the company is signaling something interesting: the race to build the smartest chips may now matter more than releasing the fastest ones every year. For Mac enthusiasts, that's both exciting and a test of patience. The next big leap may be worth waiting for, but it sounds like you'll be waiting a little longer than usual.

Apple's M7 To Bring New On-Device AI Performance Levels, With Its Unified Memory Bandwidth Reportedly 56% Higher Than M5, Launch Expected In H1 2027

* 0-20%: Unlikely - Lacks credible sources * 21-40%: Questionable - Some concerns remain * 41-60%: Plausible - Reasonable evidence * 61-80%: Probable - Strong evidence * 81-100%: Highly Likely - Multiple reliable sources A chipset's AI inference performance largely depends on its unified memory bandwidth and memory count, which is why a truckload of M5 Max MacBook Pro purchases have been made to take advantage of its 128GB memory pool. Sadly, the base Apple Silicon hasn't been given much priority in this area, but things could change with the arrival of the M7. M7 to have a lower unified memory bandwidth than the M5 Pro, but it'll still be high enough to make a proper difference compared to the M5 A ton of specification details surrounding the M7 are shrouded in mystery, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has shared the SoC's potential timeline, stating it will arrive sometime in the first half of next year. This means that the M6, which is said to be found in the upcoming 14-inch MacBook Pro, is expected to have a short lifespan as it'll potentially be succeeded in six months or less. Given that the M7 will likely be fabricated on TSMC's 2nm process, Apple could target higher clock speeds, resulting in increased single-core and multi-core scores. However, the number of performance and efficiency cores hasn't been mentioned in the report, though it's stated that the M6 could ship with a maximum of 12 GPU cores. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two Apple Silicon generations is on-device AI performance. With the M7 said to feature 240GB/s unified memory bandwidth, it'll be miles faster than the M5, which tops out at just 153GB/s. This upgrade is an excellent starting point to boost on-device AI performance, though we're disappointed to see that the M7 continues to be slower than the M5 Pro in this regard, as the latter's unified memory bandwidth is 307GB/s. Also, with the M5 limited to 24GB of memory, it'll be interesting to see the maximum unified memory count surrounding the M7. Even if the M7 won't be as capable as people expect, buyers planning to upgrade next year also have the option to opt for the M7 Pro and M7 Max MacBook Pro series, as Apple is said to forego the launch of the M6 Pro and M6 Max. News Source: Bloomberg Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.