Apple M2
Apple M2 is a series of ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for its Mac desktops and notebooks, the iPad Pro tablet, and the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. It is the second generation of ARM architecture intended for Apple's Mac computers after switching from Intel Core to Apple silicon, succeeding the M1. Apple announced the M2 on June 6, 2022, at WWDC, along with models of the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro using the M2. The M2 is made with TSMC's "Enhanced 5-nanometer technology" N5P process and contains 20 billion transistors, a 25% increase from the M1. Apple claims CPU improvements up to 18% and GPU improvements up to 35% compared to the M1.
General information | |
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Launched | M2: June 24, 2022 M2 Pro and Max: January 17, 2023 M2 Ultra: June 13, 2023 |
Designed by | Apple Inc. |
Common manufacturer(s) | |
Performance | |
Max. CPU clock rate | 3.49 GHz |
Cache | |
L1 cache | Performance cores 192+128 KB per core Efficiency cores 128+64 KB per core |
L2 cache | Performance cores M2: 16 MB M2 Pro and M2 Max: 32 MB M2 Ultra: 64 MB Efficiency cores M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max: 4 MB M2 Ultra: 8 MB |
Last level cache | M2: 8 MB M2 Pro: 24 MB M2 Max: 48 MB M2 Ultra: 96 MB |
Architecture and classification | |
Application | M2: Notebook (MacBook family), tablet (iPad Pro), desktop (Mac Mini), mixed reality headset (Vision Pro) M2 Pro: Notebook (MacBook Pro), desktop (Mac mini) M2 Max: Notebook (MacBook Pro), desktop (Mac Studio) M2 Ultra: Desktop (Mac Studio, Mac Pro) |
Technology node | 5 nm (N5P) |
Microarchitecture | "Avalanche" and "Blizzard" |
Instruction set | ARMv8.6-A |
Physical specifications | |
Transistors |
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Cores |
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Memory (RAM) |
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GPU(s) | Apple-designed integrated graphics M2: 8 or 10 core GPU M2 Pro: 16 or 19 core GPU M2 Max: 30 or 38 core GPU M2 Ultra: 60 or 76 core GPU |
Products, models, variants | |
Variant(s) | |
History | |
Predecessor(s) | Apple M1 |
Successor(s) | Apple M3 |
Mac transition to Apple silicon |
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The M2 was followed by the professional-focused M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in January 2023. The M2 Max is a higher-powered version of the M2 Pro, with more GPU cores and memory bandwidth, and a larger die size. Apple introduced the M2 Ultra in June 2023, containing two M2 Max units.