While Qualcomm is busy throwing shade at Intel with a series of laptop processor ads, Apple is reportedly quietly working on chips for more powerful MacBooks and beyond. According to a new Bloomberg report, the Cupertino tech giant is also developing new processors for future artificial intelligence features for Apple Intelligence. According to the report, the M6 processors carry the codename “Komodo”. Those are set to come after this year’s M5. Meanwhile, Apple is also working on the generation to come after the M6 processors, namely the M7, which appears to currently be codenamed “Borneo”.
But that’s not all. Apparently, we have an even more advanced Mac chip in the works planned for a future debut. Its codename is the imposing-sounding “Sotra”.
The Cupertino tech giant is also reportedly working on chips that are planned to be used for Artificial Intelligence servers. Those, if the rumors are true, will be the first processors made by the company for that specific purpose: AI.
These processors may process Apple Intelligence requests and are said to be aimed at working in Apple’s servers. Right now, Apple uses the high-end Mac chips in its servers, but in the future, those AI-focused processors may take their place.
MacBook Pro. | Image Credit – Apple
The AI server chips that Apple is reportedly working on are a part of Cupertino’s cryptic-sounding “Baltra” project. Those are expected to be finished by 2027. According to rumors, Apple is planning to have multiple types of chips, including double, quadruple, and eight times the number of CPUs and GPUs as the current M3 Ultra (yep, you can be surprised, this sounds very futuristic indeed).
Meanwhile, it is also said that Apple is developing specialized chips to be used in future smart glasses, and also chips for AirPods and Apple Watch models equipped with cameras. Right now, these products are said to launch as early as 2027.
Right now, the M3 Ultra chip is reserved for the Mac Studio. The newest MacBook Pros from the company come with the fancy M4 Max. The M4 Max features a 14-core CPU and a 32-core GPU and is an absolute beast in terms of performance and efficiency.
