Apple introduces its latest M4 chip, prioritizing advancements in AI technology. Unveiled during the “Let Loose” event, this new silicon is set to debut initially on the new 11- and 13-inch iPad Pros.
The M4 chip, constructed on a cutting-edge second-gen 3nm process, boasts four performance cores, six efficiency cores, and a robust 10-core GPU. Apple touts significant enhancements in performance, with the M4’s CPU delivering a 50 percent speed boost over its predecessor, the M2, and a GPU that is four times faster. Moreover, memory bandwidth sees an upgrade with speeds reaching up to 120GB/s. Noteworthy additions include support for dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading, marking the first time such features are introduced to the iPad lineup. Despite these improvements, Apple assures that the M4 maintains exceptional energy efficiency, offering equivalent performance to the M2 while consuming half the power.
One of the highlights of the M4 is its enhanced 16-core neural engine, capable of executing up to 38 trillion operations per second. This represents a significant leap in performance compared to Apple’s previous NPU in the A11 Bionic, offering a speed boost of 60x. The neural engine’s capabilities extend to real-time Live Captions, subject isolation in Final Cut Pro videos, and automatic musical notation in StaffPad.
The remarkably thin and powerful all-new iPad Pro takes a huge leap forward with the Ultra Retina XDR display, powerful M4 chip, and support for the all-new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. It’s available to order starting today! pic.twitter.com/zzrNT6civ5
— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) May 7, 2024
Additional features of the M4 chip include AV1 hardware acceleration, a first for the iPad line, and reduced memory requirements for inference-based tasks. The M4 chip will make its debut on the new 11- and 13-inch iPad Pros, available for pre-order starting today and officially launching on May 15.
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