• It has not taken long for Apple to add a new option its silicon lineup, debuting the M2 Ultra.
• This new chip utilises UltraFusion technology to connect the die of two M2 Max chips, doubling performance.
• The M2 Ultra is available as an option on updated models of the Mac Studio and Mac Pro.

As rumoured, Apple showcased new hardware running the latest options in its silicon stable during its WWDC 23 developers conference this evening. The new offering takes the form of the M2 Ultra, which is being made available as a chip on the 2023 models of Mac Studio and Mac Pro.

The new M2 Ultra is said to double the performance of the previous top offering – the M2 Max – as it is essentially two M2 Max chips that have been fused together.

According to Apple, the Ultra was created by utilising, “UltraFusion technology to connect the die of two M2 Max chips, doubling the performance”.

“M2 Ultra consists of 134 billion transistors — 20 billion more than M1 Ultra. Its unified memory architecture supports up to a breakthrough 192GB of memory capacity, which is 50 percent more than M1 Ultra, and features 800GB/s of memory bandwidth — twice that of M2 Max. M2 Ultra features a more powerful CPU that’s 20 percent faster than M1 Ultra, a larger GPU that’s up to 30 percent faster, and a Neural Engine that’s up to 40 percent faster,” adds Apple in a blog post.

As mentioned, the 2023 iteration of Mac Studio and Mac Pro will offer the new Ultra chip as an option. In usual Apple fashion, it has not been shy in highlighting the improvements it will deliver.

“Mac Studio with M2 Ultra is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, and up to 6x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac,” says Apple regarding the former.

“While the Intel-based Mac Pro started with an 8-core CPU and could be configured up from there, every Mac Pro has Apple’s most powerful 24-core CPU, an up to 76-core GPU, and starts with twice the memory and SSD storage. The new Mac Pro can also be configured with up to a massive 192GB of memory with 800GB/s of unified memory bandwidth,” it notes in reference to the latter.

These new options running the Ultra are not cheap either, as it to expected, with the Mac Studio starting at $1 999 (~R38 506) and the Mac Pro from $6 999 (~R134 821). Local pricing and availability is yet to be detailed regarding the new chip and accompanying 2023 hardware updates.