Apple's M5 chip pushes AI performance with new 'Neural Accelerators'

Apple has unveiled its new M5 chip, which is set to power the updated versions of the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and the Apple Vision Pro. The M5 chip, built using a third-generation 3nm process, focuses on improving graphics and AI performance. The M5 chip features a 10-core GPU that offers four times the peak GPU compute performance of the previous M4 chip. It also has a 10-core CPU, with six efficiency cores and up to four performance cores. The M5 chip offers improved memory bandwidth of 153GB/s, up from the starting 120GB/s on the M4. The performance gains are particularly noticeable in graphics-intensive tasks, with up to 30% faster graphics performance and a 45% improvement in ray tracing applications. The M5 Vision Pro can now achieve a 120Hz refresh rate and render 10% more pixels. Apple has also introduced dedicated "Neural Accelerators" in each core of the GPU, which significantly improves AI performance on Apple devices. This includes faster performance for Apple Intelligence skills and AI-powered features, such as the Vision Pro's ability to generate a Persona. Overall, the M5 chip represents a significant step forward in Apple's silicon, with a focus on enhancing graphics and AI capabilities. However, further in-depth testing and benchmarking will be required to fully assess the chip's performance in various tasks.