AI Chips · Brand guide

Apple Silicon: The Complete Guide to Apple’s AI Chips

Apple designs the chips inside every iPhone, iPad and Mac, and each one has AI hardware built in. What the Neural Engine does, how the M-series and A-series compare, who builds them, the servers behind Apple Intelligence, and the facts buried in Apple's filings. Three reading levels, every number sourced.

Stuck at any point? Ask an AI about this page →
Apple 16 sections · 3 levels 48 linked sources Checked September 2026
How to read this page. Every brand in our AI Chips section uses the same 16 sections in the same order. Each section starts Simple, then goes Deeper, then Expert: stop wherever you have what you need. The small numbers are sources: click one to open the original document. Where a company has not published something, we say so rather than estimate.

1.At a glance

SimpleStart here

Apple designs its own chips, called Apple silicon: the A-series for iPhone and the M-series for Mac and iPad 1 2. Every one since 2017 has a Neural Engine, a part of the chip built only for AI, and since late 2025 each graphics core also has its own AI unit, which Apple calls a Neural Accelerator 3 4. Apple does not sell its chips to other companies; they go into Apple products and Apple's own servers 5.

What it isChips with AI hardware built in, for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple's AI servers 6 5
Newest chipsM6 and A20 Pro, Apple's first 2 nm chips; M5 Ultra for Mac Studio 6 2
Who builds itApple designs; TSMC manufactures, including at its Arizona plant 7
Can you buy one?Only inside an Apple device; a Mac mini with M6 starts at $899 8
DeeperThe detail

Apple's approach differs from NVIDIA's: instead of one huge data-centre chip, it puts AI hardware into hundreds of millions of personal devices and runs AI on the device itself and on its own servers 9. Harder requests go to Private Cloud Compute, Apple's own servers running Apple silicon 5. Since June 2026 some requests also run on Google Cloud using NVIDIA GPUs, the first time Private Cloud Compute has run outside Apple's data centres 10.

ExpertFor specialists

Apple's June 2026 quarter: revenue $109.4 billion, up 16%; gross margin 50.1% 11 12. Research and development spending reached $34.0 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2026, up about 33%, while spending on property and equipment fell to $6.8 billion from $9.5 billion 12. Apple sells no data-centre chip and discloses no Neural Engine performance figure for its chips after M4 13 6.

2.Company card

SimpleStart here

Apple Inc. is incorporated in California 14. On 1 September 2026 John Ternus, who led hardware engineering, became chief executive and Tim Cook became Executive Chairman 15.

Legal nameApple Inc. 14
HeadquartersOne Apple Park Way, Cupertino, California 95014, USA 14 (map)
Chief ExecutiveJohn Ternus (from 1 Sep 2026) 15
Executive ChairmanTim Cook 15
Chief Hardware OfficerJohny Srouji, who leads Apple's chip design 16
Chief Financial OfficerKevan Parekh 11
EmployeesAbout 166,000 full-time equivalent (Sep 2025) 14
StockAAPL, Nasdaq 14
Investor siteinvestor.apple.com
DeeperThe detail

Johny Srouji joined Apple in 2008 to lead the A4, "the first Apple-designed system-on-a-chip", after working at Intel and IBM 16. In April 2026 he was named Chief Hardware Officer, covering chips, batteries, cameras, sensors, displays and cellular modems 16. Apple's AI chief John Giannandrea retired in spring 2026; Amar Subramanya, formerly of Microsoft and Google, now leads AI under software chief Craig Federighi 17.

ExpertFor specialists

Fiscal 2025 (to 27 September 2025): revenue $416.2 billion, research and development $34.6 billion, capital spending $12.7 billion, net income $112.0 billion 18. Apple's fiscal year ends on the last Saturday of September 14.

3.The story

SimpleStart here
  • 2008 Johny Srouji joins to lead the A4, the first Apple-designed system-on-a-chip 16.
  • 2017 A11 Bionic in iPhone X brings the first Neural Engine, for Face ID 3.
  • 2020 M1 moves the Mac to Apple silicon 1.
  • 2024 M4 launches; Apple Intelligence arrives on iPhone, iPad and Mac 13 19.
  • 2025 M5 puts an AI unit in every graphics core; Houston-built AI servers start shipping 4 20.
  • 2026 Google Gemini deal, M5 Ultra, and the first 2 nm chips, M6 and A20 Pro 21 6 2.
DeeperThe detail

The first Neural Engine managed 600 billion operations per second 3; M1's did 11 trillion 1 and M4's 38 trillion, which Apple called "60x faster than the first Neural Engine" 13. From 2025 Apple stopped quoting a single figure and instead compares each chip with the one before: M5 has "over 4x the peak GPU compute performance for AI" of M4 4.

ExpertFor specialists

Apple announced Private Cloud Compute in June 2024 as "custom-built server hardware that brings the power and security of Apple silicon to the data center" 5. In January 2026 Apple and Google said "the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology", while Apple Intelligence "will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute" 21.

4.The lineup

SimpleStart here
ChipGoes intoAnnounced
M6Mac mini25 Aug 2026 6
M5 UltraMac Studio25 Aug 2026 6
M5 Pro / M5 MaxMacBook Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio3 Mar 2026 22
M5MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Vision Pro15 Oct 2025 4
A20 ProiPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max9 Sep 2026 2
A19 ProiPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max9 Sep 2025 23
Server chipsPrivate Cloud Compute serversApple says only "Apple silicon" 5
DeeperThe detail

Bigger M-series chips are built by joining smaller ones. M5 Pro and M5 Max join two dies into one chip, which Apple calls its "Fusion Architecture" 22. M5 Ultra joins two M5 Max chips, making it Apple's first four-die chip and the first Ultra with an AI unit in every graphics core 6.

ExpertFor specialists

Apple's AI features need a recent chip: at WWDC 2026 the next Apple Intelligence was listed for iPhone 15 Pro and later, iPad and Mac with M1 or later, MacBook Neo (A18 Pro), Vision Pro and recent Apple Watch models 24. Apple's announcements do not name the chip inside its servers; 9to5Mac, reading Apple's own server software release, reports that Apple has started using M5 chips (press report) 25.

5.How it’s made

SimpleStart here

Apple designs its chips and buys the manufacturing from TSMC 7.

  1. Design: Apple's hardware technologies team under Johny Srouji 16.
  2. Chip factory: TSMC. Apple expects to buy "well over 100 million advanced chips" from TSMC's Arizona plant in 2026 7.
  3. Process: 3 nm for M5 Pro and M5 Max; 2 nm for M6 and A20 Pro 22 6 2. Press names TSMC's N2 process for M6 26.
  4. Packaging: Amkor is building a $7 billion packaging plant in Peoria, Arizona, with Apple as its first and largest customer 7.
  5. Servers: assembled in Houston, Texas, with logic boards made on site 7.
DeeperThe detail

Apple says more than 20 billion chips have been made for it in the US, from 24 factories in 12 states 7. Its American Manufacturing Program, part of a $600 billion US pledge, includes TSMC, Amkor, Broadcom, Samsung, GlobalFoundries, Texas Instruments, Applied Materials, Corning, Coherent and GlobalWafers 27.

ExpertFor specialists

Apple's releases for M6 and A20 Pro say "2-nanometer" but do not name the factory 6 2. Apple's 10-K warns that new products "often utilize custom components available from only one source" and that most manufacturing is done by partners "located primarily in China mainland, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam" 14.

6.Where it’s made: factories and addresses

SimpleStart here

The factories Apple and its partners name in official releases:

SiteLocationWhat it makes
TSMC ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona, USA (1,100-acre campus)Advanced chips; Apple's largest US source 28 7
AmkorPeoria, Arizona, USAChip packaging and test, production from early 2028 29
Apple server plantHouston, Texas, USAPrivate Cloud Compute servers; Mac mini from later 2026 7
GlobalWafersSherman, Texas, USASilicon wafers, now in production 7
Apple data centreMaiden, North Carolina, USANamed for expansion in Apple's US plan 27

Street addresses for these plants are not published in the sources above 29.

DeeperThe detail

TSMC's Arizona site started high-volume 4 nm production in late 2024; its second plant targets 3 nm volume in the second half of 2027, and a third plant aims at 2 nm and A16 by the end of the decade 28. Apple does not say which of its chips come from Arizona rather than Taiwan 7.

ExpertFor specialists

In March 2026 Apple added TDK, Bosch, Cirrus Logic and Qnity Electronics to its US programme, with chips for Face ID to be made at GlobalFoundries in Malta, New York 30. The Amkor Peoria campus is planned at more than 750,000 square feet of cleanroom and up to 3,000 jobs, with Apple and NVIDIA named as customers 29.

7.How it works

SimpleStart here

Apple chips use "unified memory": the main processor, the graphics and the Neural Engine all share one pool of fast memory inside the chip package, so data does not have to be copied between them 1. That matters for AI because a model's size is limited by how much memory it can reach. The biggest Mac chip, M3 Ultra, could run language models "with over 600 billion parameters directly on device" 31.

DeeperThe detail

There are now two kinds of AI hardware on each chip. The Neural Engine runs everyday AI efficiently; since M5 and A19 Pro, a Neural Accelerator in every graphics core handles heavier matrix maths 4 23. M6 and A20 Pro double the Neural Engine, with two 16-core engines on one chip 6 2.

ExpertFor specialists

Apple's own software is MLX, an open-source framework that keeps arrays in shared memory 32. Its third-generation models include a 3-billion-parameter on-device model and a 20-billion-parameter sparse model that keeps the full model in flash and loads parts into memory as needed 9. Private Cloud Compute servers run a hardened version of iOS and macOS, keep no user data after a request, and publish their software images for outside checking 5.

8.Specs explained

SimpleStart here

Apple's own figures. Apple gave a Neural Engine speed ("trillion operations per second", TOPS) up to M4 but not after 13 4.

ChipNeural EngineMemoryBandwidthProcess
A11 Bionic (2017)2 cores, 600 billion ops/s3
M1 (2020)16 cores, 11 TOPSUnified5 nm 1
M4 (2024)16 cores, 38 TOPSUnified3 nm, 28 billion transistors 13
M3 Ultra (2025)32 cores96–512 GBOver 800 GB/s184 billion transistors 31
M5 (2025)16 coresUp to 32 GB153 GB/s3 nm 4
M5 Pro / Max (2026)16 cores64 / 128 GB307 / 614 GB/s3 nm 22
M6 (2026)Two 16-core enginesUp to 32 GB170 GB/s2 nm 6
M5 Ultra (2026)32 coresUp to 512 GB1.2 TB/s3 nm, four dies 6
A20 Pro (2026)Two 16-core engines50% more than A19 Pro2 nm 2
DeeperThe detail

Apple's comparisons: M5 Ultra has "up to 4.5x the peak GPU compute for AI compared to M3 Ultra" in the chip release 6, while the Mac Studio release says "up to 4.3x the peak AI compute performance" 33. M6 has about 30% more peak graphics AI compute than M5 6. A20 Pro offers "double the AI processing" of A19 Pro 2.

ExpertFor specialists

For scale: M5 Ultra's 1.2 TB/s of memory bandwidth is well below a data-centre GPU with stacked HBM memory, but it reaches up to 512 GB of memory in one desktop computer 6; see our NVIDIA guide for data-centre figures. Press reports say A17 Pro's Neural Engine reached about 35 TOPS 34. Apple has not published transistor counts for M5, M6 or A20 Pro 4 6 2.

9.Official pricing

SimpleStart here

Apple chips are not sold on their own. The cheapest way to get each one, at Apple's official US prices:

ProductChipPrice (US)
Mac miniM6From $899 8
Mac miniM5 ProFrom $1,699 8
MacBook Pro 14-inchM5From $1,699 (Mar 2026) 35
Mac StudioM5 MaxFrom $2,499 33
Mac StudioM5 UltraFrom $5,499 33
iPhone 18 Pro / Pro MaxA20 ProFrom $1,199 / $1,299 2
Private Cloud ComputeServer chipsNot sold; no price published 5
DeeperThe detail

Indian rupee prices: not published by the company in a source we could read; Indian press reports prices for these models, but we list only Apple's own figures. Mac Studio with 512 GB of memory ships in late October 2026 33. The October 2025 MacBook Pro with M5 launched at $1,599; the March 2026 line-up lists it at $1,699 36 35.

ExpertFor specialists

Memory is pushing prices. In July 2026 Tim Cook described "a hundred-year flood on the memory pricing" and expected memory costs to rise further 37. In March 2026 Apple stopped offering the top 512 GB option on the M3 Ultra Mac Studio, according to press reports 38. Our AI memory guide explains why memory is scarce.

10.The software lock-in

SimpleStart here

Apple controls the whole stack: the chip, the device, the operating system and the AI models 9. Because every part of the chip shares one pool of memory, a single Mac can hold a very large AI model: Apple says M3 Ultra can run models with over 600 billion parameters 31.

DeeperThe detail

Scale is the other advantage. Apple's AI features run on every recent iPhone, iPad and Mac, so Apple can run most AI on the device rather than paying for data-centre chips for every request 24 9. Its privacy design, Private Cloud Compute, publishes server software for outside researchers to inspect 5.

ExpertFor specialists

Apple has used its chips to argue for local AI: Mac Studio systems can be clustered, four at a time, for up to 3x faster AI inference, Apple says 33, and Mac mini with M6 claims up to 13.5x faster prompt processing than M1 in LM Studio 8.

11.Who buys it and why

SimpleStart here

Apple is the only user of Apple silicon. The chips go into Apple's own products and its Private Cloud Compute servers 5. Mac mini and Mac Studio are also popular with developers who want to run AI models on their desks 33.

DeeperThe detail

Apple does not use its own chips for everything. Its 2024 models were trained on Google TPUs: 8,192 TPUv4 chips for the server model and 2,048 TPUv5p for the on-device model 39. Its 2026 models were trained on Google's "latest generation of cloud TPU accelerators" 9.

ExpertFor specialists

The largest 2026 model, AFM 3 Cloud Pro, runs on NVIDIA GPUs in Google Cloud 9; that part of Private Cloud Compute uses NVIDIA Confidential Computing, Intel processors and Google's Titan security chip 10. Apple says its own Apple silicon servers still handle "the most demanding Apple Intelligence features" 10.

12.Hidden in plain sight

SimpleStart here

Public facts buried in Apple's filings and releases. Each links to the exact document.

  1. Apple trains its AI on Google's chips, not its own 39 9.
  2. Its biggest 2026 model runs on NVIDIA GPUs in Google Cloud 9.
  3. Apple stopped publishing Neural Engine speed after M4's 38 TOPS 13 6.
  4. Capital spending fell 28% in the first nine months of fiscal 2026 while research spending rose about 33% 12.
  5. Apple's announcements never name the chip inside its AI servers, only "Apple silicon"; press reads M5 in its server software 5 25.
DeeperThe detail
  1. Two different AI uplift numbers for the same chip: 4.5x in the M5 Ultra release, 4.3x in the Mac Studio release 6 33.
  2. Apple's 10-K warns of single-source custom parts 14.
  3. The Private Cloud Compute blog uses Intel processors for the Google Cloud part of the service 10.
  4. Apple counts itself Amkor Peoria's primary customer for a plant opening in 2028 7 29.
  5. Apple's 10-K does not mention Private Cloud Compute by name 14.
ExpertFor specialists
  1. Tim Cook's last call as CEO described "a hundred-year flood" in memory pricing 37.
  2. Apple sees supply limits on iPhone, Mac and iPad from advanced chip availability, press reports of its guidance say 40.
  3. M5 Ultra is Apple's first four-die chip 6.
  4. Mac mini production is moving to Houston, alongside the AI servers 7.
  5. Apple trained its 2024 models with AXLearn, its own framework built on Google's JAX, on Google TPUs 39.

13.Weak spots

SimpleStart here

Limits, from Apple's own statements and reporting:

  • Late on AI: in March 2025 Apple said the personal Siri features would "take us longer than we thought" 41.
  • Relies on Google for its next-generation models and training chips 21 9.
  • No data-centre chip for sale: Apple sells chips only inside its own products 14.
  • Leadership change: a new CEO and a new AI chief in 2026 15 17.
DeeperThe detail

Apple's total capital spending, $12.7 billion in fiscal 2025 18, is small next to Meta's guidance of $130 to $145 billion for 2026 42. A dedicated AI server chip, reportedly code-named Baltra and developed with Broadcom, is press-reported for 2027; Apple has not confirmed it 43.

ExpertFor specialists

Memory costs cut into margins: Apple guided a 47–48% gross margin for the September 2026 quarter, down from 50.1%, and both figures include some benefit from tariff refunds 37 11. Apple described AI spending as "quite a bit more" across operating costs and cost of sales 37.

14.India angle

SimpleStart here

Apple has six stores in India, including Mumbai's BKC and Borivali, Delhi's Saket, Bengaluru, Pune and Noida 44. Apple Intelligence has worked in Indian English since March 2025 45. No Apple chip is made in India.

DeeperThe detail

India is now a major iPhone base. In May 2025 Tim Cook said the majority of iPhones sold in the US would have India as their country of origin 46. Press reports put iPhone exports at about ₹2 trillion from April 2025 to February 2026 47. Apple's 10-K lists India among its main manufacturing countries 14.

ExpertFor specialists

Press reports name Tata Electronics in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and Foxconn in Devanahalli, Karnataka, as the main iPhone plants; Apple does not publish the list 48. For India's own chip plants, see our India's semiconductor push guide.

15.What’s next

SimpleStart here

Only what Apple and its partners have announced:

  • Mac Studio with 512 GB: late October 2026 33.
  • Mac mini made in Houston: later in 2026 7.
  • Amkor Peoria packaging: production early 2028 29.
  • TSMC Arizona 3 nm: volume in the second half of 2027 28.
DeeperThe detail

The next Apple Foundation Models are based on Google's Gemini models 21; Apple says its third generation was "custom-built in collaboration with Google" 9. Apple has not announced a data-centre chip; press reports of a 2027 server chip are unconfirmed 43.

ExpertFor specialists

The question is whether Apple keeps AI mainly on devices, or builds data-centre capacity like its rivals. Its spending pattern so far, rising research and falling capital spending, points to the device 12.

16.Sources

48 sources, all checked September 2026. Official = the company or organisation’s own page; Filing = a document filed with a regulator; Press = news coverage, used only where no official source exists and labelled in the text.

  1. Apple Newsroom: Apple unleashes M1 (10 Nov 2020)Official
  2. Apple Newsroom: Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max (9 Sep 2026)Official
  3. Apple Newsroom: The future is here: iPhone X (12 Sep 2017)Official
  4. Apple Newsroom: Apple unleashes M5 (15 Oct 2025)Official
  5. Apple Security Research: Private Cloud Compute: a new frontier for AI privacy in the cloud (10 Jun 2024)Official
  6. Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra (25 Aug 2026)Official
  7. Apple Newsroom: Apple accelerates U.S. manufacturing with Mac mini production (Feb 2026)Official
  8. Apple Newsroom: Apple unveils a more powerful Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro (25 Aug 2026)Official
  9. Apple Machine Learning Research: Introducing the third generation of Apple Foundation Models (8 Jun 2026)Research
  10. Apple Security Research: Expanding Private Cloud Compute (8 Jun 2026)Official
  11. Apple Newsroom: Apple reports third quarter results (30 Jul 2026)Official
  12. Apple Inc. (SEC): Form 10-Q, quarter to 27 Jun 2026Filing
  13. Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces M4 chip (7 May 2024)Official
  14. Apple Inc. (SEC): Form 10-K, fiscal year 2025 (year to 27 Sep 2025)Filing
  15. Apple Newsroom: Tim Cook to become Executive Chairman; John Ternus to become CEO (20 Apr 2026)Official
  16. Apple Newsroom: Johny Srouji named Apple's Chief Hardware Officer (20 Apr 2026)Official
  17. Apple Newsroom: John Giannandrea to retire from Apple (1 Dec 2025)Official
  18. Apple Newsroom: FY2025 fourth-quarter condensed consolidated financial statements (PDF)Filing
  19. Apple Newsroom: Apple Intelligence is available today (28 Oct 2024)Official
  20. Tim Cook on X: Houston-made servers now shipping (23 Oct 2025)Official
  21. Google (joint statement): Joint statement from Google and Apple (12 Jan 2026)Official
  22. Apple Newsroom: Apple debuts M5 Pro and M5 Max (3 Mar 2026)Official
  23. Apple Newsroom: Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max (9 Sep 2025)Official
  24. Apple Newsroom: Apple unveils next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI (8 Jun 2026)Official
  25. 9to5Mac (press): Apple plans M5-based Private Cloud Compute architecture (17 Feb 2026)Press
  26. MacRumors (press): What M6 tells us about A20 (5 Sep 2026)Press
  27. Apple Newsroom: Apple increases U.S. commitment to $600 billion (Aug 2025)Official
  28. TSMC: About TSMC ArizonaOfficial
  29. Arizona Commerce Authority: Amkor breaks ground on Peoria packaging campus, $7 billion (Oct 2025)Government
  30. Apple Newsroom: Apple adds new partners to its American Manufacturing Program (26 Mar 2026)Official
  31. Apple Newsroom: Apple reveals M3 Ultra (5 Mar 2025)Official
  32. Apple (GitHub): MLX: an array framework for Apple siliconOfficial
  33. Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra (25 Aug 2026)Official
  34. Tom's Hardware (press): Apple A17 Pro: 3 nm chip for iPhone 15 Pro (Sep 2023)Press
  35. Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max (3 Mar 2026)Official
  36. Apple Newsroom: Apple unveils new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by M5 (15 Oct 2025)Official
  37. Six Colors (transcript, press): Transcript of Apple's Q3 2026 financial callPress
  38. 9to5Mac (press): Apple no longer offers M3 Ultra Mac Studio with top memory option (5 Mar 2026)Press
  39. Apple (arXiv): Apple Intelligence Foundation Language Models (Jul 2024)Paper
  40. MacRumors (press): Apple Q3 2026 earnings: product revenue and guidance (30 Jul 2026)Press
  41. Daring Fireball (quoting Apple statement): Apple is delaying the more personalised Siri features (7 Mar 2025)Press
  42. Meta Investor Relations: Meta reports second-quarter 2026 results (29 Jul 2026)Official
  43. TrendForce (press): Apple reportedly pushes in-house AI server chip, eyes 2027 (17 Dec 2025)Press
  44. Apple Newsroom India: Apple Borivali opens in Mumbai (Feb 2026)Official
  45. Apple Newsroom India: Apple Intelligence features are now available in India (Mar 2025)Official
  46. Digit (press, quoting Apple call): Most iPhones sold in the US in the June quarter will come from India (May 2025)Press
  47. Business Standard (press): iPhone exports hit a record ₹2 trillion (29 Apr 2026)Press
  48. The Week (press): Tata Electronics, Foxconn and Apple's India plants (2 May 2026)Press

In the news

Newest stories mentioning Apple Silicon, straight from the companies’ own newsrooms and the wider press. Links open the original.

All of today’s AI news →

Ask an AI about this page

Opens your assistant with this page as the source, and a question rather than a summary. It will ask what you are building before it answers.

ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexityGrok

Nothing is sent from here. The link carries only this page’s title and address.