The new generation of Apple Silicon processors lands in the iPad Pro line
Apple unveiled its next generation of Apple Silicon processors during its special “Let Loose” event in May. As expected, the renewed iPad Pro series has equipped an M4 chip so powerful that it is capable of rivaling the processors of any laptop and desktop computer. The M4 chip is a real beast specially designed to offer support for artificial intelligence.
The Apple Silicon M4 chip is manufactured using TSMC’s second-generation 3-nanometer architecture technique and features a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU and a Neural Engine with great new features to support multiple performance, AI and energy efficiency features.
M4 chip: specifications and hardware
Apple has somehow managed to continue increasing the power and performance of its latest generation M4 processors far surpassing the M3 chip and the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips presented at the end of 2023. It didn’t seem possible but… yes, Apple has done it again.
The M4 is a system-on-chip (SoC) that further raises the bar for Apple’s industry-leading chip power efficiency and enables the incredibly slim design of the iPad Pro.
Technological advances in the development of the M4 chip have facilitated the implementation of up to 28 billion transistors. Below we indicate all the specifications of its CPU, GPU and Neural Engine.
CPU
Apple has implemented in its M4 chip 50% faster CPU than the M2 chip found in the previous generation of the 2022 iPad Pro. How has she achieved it? Thanks to the inclusion of more cores and TSMC’s innovative 3-nanometer technique that, until now, remains exclusive to Apple.
The M4 chip CPU is made up of 10 cores with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. A CPU with greater branch prediction capabilities, broader decoding and execution engines, and an optimized execution engine in efficiency cores.
GPU
The M4 chip GPU is based on the M3 chip architecture and uses technology that distributes local memory on hardware dynamically to optimize its performance. It is so powerful that it allows you to enjoy much more realistic shadows and reflections in video game graphics.
Additionally, the M4 chip GPU is 4 times faster than the M2 chip GPU and features hardware acceleration ray tracing (ray tracing) and has 10 cores. This GPU is much more efficient, offering the same performance as the M2 chip using half the power.
Neural Engine
The CPU and GPU of Apple Silicon M4 chips support performance that is beyond enthralling. And since power without control is of no use, the company led by Tim Cook has also incorporated big improvements in its Neural Engine.
This Neural Engine is specially designed to accelerate AI processes. But this is not all. It is also the most powerful Neural Engine in Apple’s history. He is able to execute up to 38 billion operations per second.
The arrival of the M4 chip to the iPad Pro
The M4 chip makes the new 2024 iPad Pro models much more powerful than their predecessors. Besides, reduces your energy consumption and it’s better for the environment.
Johnny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies at Apple, stated that “the new iPad Pro with M4 chip is a perfect example of how manufacturing the best in-house chips allows us to create revolutionary products.” In some ways, the M4 chip has helped make the iPad Pro is much thinner, more efficient and, of course, much more powerful.
Finally, it is also worth noting that the M4 chip’s multimedia engine facilitates support for video formats. H.264, HEVC, AV1 and ProRes.