Apple has begun releasing its fifth generation of M-series processors, starting with the M5 chip powering new releases like the MacBook, iPad, and Vision Pros. While updates for other devices like the MacBook Air and Mac Mini are pending, the M5 promises substantial enhancements in AI performance and CPU speed.

On the surface, the M5 shares a similar architecture with its predecessor, the M4, featuring up to 10 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores, and a 16-core Neural Engine. However, digging deeper reveals notable upgrades. Apple’s advancements include improved GPU capabilities with enhanced shaders and ray tracing cores, which offer about 30-45% better performance for graphics-intensive tasks.

Each GPU core now incorporates neural processors akin to Nvidia’s tensor cores, boosting generative AI and machine learning tasks. The M5’s GPU quadruples its AI computing capabilities compared to the M4, though specific performance metrics like teraFLOPS remain unspecified. This increase is expected to significantly improve areas like image processing and large language model applications.

The M5’s memory subsystem includes multiple configurations—16, 24, or 32 GB of unified memory, enhancing speed but limiting upgradability once chosen. According to Apple, the memory bandwidth sees a 30% increase to 153 GB/s, aligning it with competitors like Qualcomm and Intel.

The new Neural Engine aims to streamline less intensive AI tasks, continuing the M-series trend of integrating machine learning into everyday processes like photo analysis and text recognition. Apple’s focus on AI-enhanced processing anticipates benefits across its ecosystem.

Aside from AI improvements, the M5 chip’s CPU is said to be 15% faster in multi-threaded tasks, thanks to its continued use of TSMC’s 3nm process technology. Available for pre-order, these devices start at $1,599 for the MacBook, $999 for the iPad, and $3,499 for the Vision Pros, available soon.