The latest Mac Studio comes with a mix of M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. But will Apple ever launch an M4 Ultra chip? It doesn’t seem likely. Here’s why.
M4 Max and M3 Ultra
Let’s break it down into three simple reasons why an M4 Ultra chip might never happen. First, Apple’s top-tier Ultra chips are usually made by joining two Max chips together using a special trick called UltraFusion. For example, the M1 Ultra is just two M1 Max chips stuck together, and the M2 Ultra follows the same idea with two M2 Max chips. But here’s the catch: Apple says the M4 Max chip doesn’t have an UltraFusion connector. Without it, they can’t just double up the M4 Max to make an M4 Ultra like before.
Second, Apple has dropped hints to reporters and YouTubers that not every chip family will get an Ultra version. The timing of this news makes it feel like the M4 Ultra might be off the table for good. The third point comes from Mark Gurman, a writer at Bloomberg. In his recent Power On newsletter, he shared that Apple isn’t keen on building an M4 Ultra chip from the ground up.
Why? It’s tricky to make, costs a lot, and not many people buy desktop Macs like the Mac Studio. So, this pretty much closes the door on another way Apple could’ve created an M4 Ultra. Looking ahead, maybe the M5 Max chip will bring back UltraFusion. If it does, that could open the door for an M5 Ultra chip down the road. For now, though, the M4 Ultra seems like a long shot.