Apple’s M5 Chips Reportedly in Mass Production
Credit: Apple
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A report from the South Korean publication ETnews claims that next-generation Apple Silicon M5 chips have entered mass production. Apple is expected to use the new chip in at least some devices before the end of 2025.
The Wednesday morning report said Apple’s chipmaking partner TSMC is currently packaging the first M5 chips off the production line. Since packaging the new chip is the final step before actually using the chip in devices, the M5 chip is effectively in mass production.
Several rumors have indicated the release timetable for Apple devices using M5 chips. The M5 iPad Pro is widely expected to debut in late 2025, while Apple’s first Macs with the M5 will also likely debut in the fall. A second-generation Apple Vision Pro headset is expected to be powered by the M5 and could have a later 2025 release date.
Mentions of the chip have also been spotted in code as early as August 2023, when M5 identifiers were discovered in CHIP tags that are used to ensure that firmware is not installed onto incompatible hardware.
The M5 series is expected to be based on an enhanced ARM architecture, and it is reportedly being fabricated using TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process. Apple is said to have decided to forego TSMC’s more advanced 2nm process for the M5 chip due to cost considerations. That said, the high-end versions of the M5 are expected to feature advancements over their M4 equivalents, thanks to the adoption of TSMC’s System on Integrated Chip (SoIC) technology.
The technology uses a 3D chip-stacking approach that vertically stacks the chips, enhancing thermal management and reducing electrical leakage compared to traditional 2D designs. The next-generation hybrid SoIC package also combines thermoplastic carbon fiber composite molding technology.
While the base M5 is expected to use about the same architecture as the M4 chips, placing the CPU and GPU on the same die, the M5 Pro will reportedly split the design for the first time in Apple Silicon history.
The M5 Pro and other chips are said to use manufacturer TSMC’s System-in-Integrated-Chips-Molding-Horizontal (SoIC-mH). It hasn’t been established whether the base M5 uses this packaging process.
The M5 Pro and the M5 Max are expected to enter mass production sometime in the second half of 2025, while the M5 Ultra is expected to be ready for mass production in 2026.
In December, a report indicated that the M5 had been in the prototyping phase for a few months, with mass production planned for the first half of 2025.
Apple chip partner TSMC is reportedly working on a 1nm fabrication process, which makes sense, based on the company’s established roadmap. However, the M5 chip is expected to be produced using TSMC’s N3P technology, which is expected to be first used in the iPhone 18 lineup.
At least one report has claimed Apple is planning to use the M5 chip within its AI server infrastructure to bolster AI capabilities across its consumer devices, as well as its cloud services.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
