Apple reportedly canceled development of a high-performance chip known as “M4 Extreme” last summer, choosing instead to redirect engineering efforts toward an AI server chip, according to The Information. This is not the first time this has happened.
Still no “Extreme” variant
The report from our colleagues actually echoes a similar previous situation. In 2022, the firm was actively working on an “Extreme” version of the M2 for Mac, before abruptly stopping development. Two years later, the company also reportedly canceled the “Extreme” variant, this time for the M4 range. Instead, Apple focused on its future AI chip with Broadcom.
The “M4 Extreme” was potentially expected to be included in the high-end 2025 Mac Pro, promising higher performance than the upcoming M4 Ultra chip, which is expected to launch in the upcoming Mac Studio, as well as the entry-level Mac Pro.
On paper, the “M4 Extreme” would have been a quad version of the M4 Max chip in the recent MacBook Pro 2024, boasting impressive specs like a 64-core CPU and 160-core GPU. Firepower for developers, 3D creators and other engineers working on complex topics like AI.
Despite this cancellation, Apple’s history leaves hope for an ever more powerful version of its own processors. No “M4 Extreme”, but why not an M5 or M6 Extreme. By then, engineers will perhaps have found a solution to overheating which seems to be the main current concern.
