Unified memory architecture is also getting bigger with M1 Ultra. It can be set up with up to 128GB of unified memory, which is more than 10 times faster than the most recent PC desktop chip. Compared to the most powerful PC graphics cards, which have a maximum of 48GB of memory, nothing can match M1 Ultra for graphics memory. It can handle huge GPU-intensive tasks like working with extreme 3D geometry and rendering huge scenes.
Machine learning tasks can be done quickly thanks to the M1 Ultra’s 32-core Neural Engine, which runs up to 22 trillion operations per second. And, with twice the media engine power of M1 Max, M1 Ultra can encode and decode ProRes video at unprecedented speeds. In fact, the new Mac Studio with M1 Ultra can play back up to 18 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at the same time. This is a feat that no other chip can do. 4 There are also some custom Apple technologies in the M1 Ultra, like a display engine that can drive multiple external displays, built in Thunderbolt 4 controllers, and best-in-class security, like Apple’s new Secure Enclave and hardware-verified secure boot.
macOS and Apps Scale Up to M1 Ultra
For as long as anyone can remember, Macs have always had a very close relationship between their hardware and their software. Mac OS Monterey has been made for Apple hardware, taking advantage of the M1 Ultra’s huge improvements in CPU, GPU, and memory bandwidth. It’s easier than ever for apps to take advantage of the new chip thanks to technologies like Metal and Core ML. The new 32-core Neural Engine makes machine learning models run faster than ever.
