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Apple's future Mac chips may be getting their biggest AI upgrade yet, with a high-end M7 Ultra processor reportedly designed to support up to 1.5 TB of unified memory.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is changing its silicon roadmap to prioritize AI, accelerating the development of the M7 family rather than following its traditional chip release pattern. The move could make the M7 Ultra one of Apple's most powerful processors yet, with capabilities aimed at demanding AI workloads as well as future Mac desktops.
AI drives a major change in Apple's chip plans
Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to launch the base M6 chip this fall, but will skip the Pro, Max, and Ultra versions of that generation. Instead, the company has reportedly moved quickly to finalize the M7 design, with the base chip expected in the first half of 2027, followed by M7 Pro and M7 Max later that year. The flagship M7 Ultra is expected to arrive in 2028.
The report says Apple accelerated the schedule to achieve larger improvements to the Neural Engine, the dedicated hardware that powers on-device AI features. Bloomberg reports the M7 Ultra is being developed to deliver AI performance "closer to the class of dedicated AI accelerators such as Nvidia Corp.'s Blackwell."
The processor is also expected to serve as the foundation for a future generation of Apple's AI servers, following an earlier server platform based on the M5 Ultra.
Up to 1.5TB of unified memory
One of the biggest reported upgrades is memory capacity.
Bloomberg reports that the M7 Ultra is being designed to support up to 1.5 TB of unified memory, roughly double the capacity planned for the upcoming M5 Ultra. However, whether Apple ultimately ships that configuration will depend on memory availability, as ongoing memory chip shortages continue to push prices higher.
If Apple reaches that figure, it would also match the maximum RAM configuration previously offered on the Intel-based 2019 Mac Pro, according to MacRumors.
The large memory pool would allow professionals to run much larger AI models locally without relying as heavily on cloud infrastructure, while also benefiting workloads such as scientific computing, large-scale content creation and software development.
A strategy rooted in an abandoned project
Bloomberg says Apple's AI hardware strategy can be traced back to its canceled self-driving car project.
Although the vehicle never launched, the work required to build processors capable of handling autonomous driving workloads helped lay the foundation for Apple's Neural Engine. That technology debuted on the iPhone X in 2017 and later expanded across Apple's product lineup, including every Mac powered by Apple silicon.
While Apple's software efforts around AI have faced delays, particularly with Siri and Apple Intelligence, the company has continued investing heavily in hardware designed to run AI directly on devices.
Looking beyond faster CPUs
The reported roadmap suggests Apple is no longer treating AI as just another feature of its processors. Instead, AI appears to be shaping how the chips are designed, when they are released, and how they will power future services, including Apple's own AI infrastructure.
That shift could strengthen Apple's position among creative professionals and enterprise users who increasingly want to run advanced AI workloads locally. At the same time, the roadmap remains subject to change, and the high-end memory configuration may never reach customers if supply shortages persist or manufacturing costs remain too high.
For now, the M7 Ultra represents Apple's clearest sign yet that the future of its Mac chips will be defined as much by AI performance as by traditional gains in speed or graphics.
Also read: Wondering whether Apple's new Siri AI or Google's Gemini is the better assistant? We compare their strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases to help you decide which AI fits your workflow.