Apple is reportedly overhauling its Mac chip roadmap to prioritise artificial intelligence performance, with the company developing an M7 Ultra processor that could support up to 1.5TB of RAM and deliver major upgrades to neural processing.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has accelerated development of the M7 generation and could launch the first chip in the series in the first half of 2027. The company reportedly views improvements to AI processing as significant enough to move ahead with the M7 family instead of completing a full lineup of M6 processors.

Apple Accelerates M7 Development To Focus On AI

Apple has reportedly redesigned its roadmap for Mac processors with artificial intelligence performance becoming a central consideration in the development of future chips.

The company is expected to introduce major neural-processing upgrades with the M7 family as it seeks to improve the ability of Macs to run increasingly demanding AI workloads.

According to the report, Apple considered the AI improvements planned for the M7 generation important enough to accelerate its development rather than complete the M6 lineup.

Apple is expected to launch only one M6 processor before shifting its focus to the next generation of chips.

The high-end M7 Ultra could support up to 1.5TB of RAM and deliver AI performance closer to dedicated accelerators such as Nvidia’s Blackwell processors.

M7 Chip Could Launch In First Half Of 2027

Apple has reportedly started taping out the M7 processor, a stage of chip development when the design is finalised and prepared for manufacturing.

The company reached the stage about six months after completing the same process for the M6 chip, according to the report.

Under the reported development timeline, the standard M7 processor could arrive in the first half of 2027.

The M7 Pro and M7 Max chips are expected to follow towards the end of 2027, while the M7 Ultra could be introduced in 2028.

Apple is also reportedly developing its M8 generation of processors, including a chip code-named Soko, alongside other high-end Mac processors being developed under the Cardinal name for 2028.

Mac With M7 Ultra Could Carry A High Price

The potential introduction of an M7 Ultra processor supporting 1.5TB of RAM comes amid rising memory costs that have pushed manufacturers to increase device prices.

Apple recently raised prices of Mac devices in India.

The base Mac Studio configuration with the M4 Max processor, 36GB RAM and 512GB storage increased by Rs 65,000, from Rs 1,49,900 to Rs 2,14,900.

The Mac Studio configuration with 96GB RAM and the M3 Ultra processor rose by Rs 1,70,000, from Rs 2,59,900 to Rs 4,29,900.

Apple last offered a Mac supporting 1.5TB of RAM in 2019.

At the time, the memory upgrade alone cost $25,000, or roughly Rs 23.7 lakh, while a fully configured system could cost as much as $53,000, or around Rs 50 lakh.

By comparison, the cheapest Nvidia Blackwell processor costs $12,499.99, or roughly Rs 11.8 lakh.

Apple’s Neural Engine Linked To Cancelled Car Project

The report traced the development of Apple’s neural engine technology to the company’s now-cancelled self-driving car project.

The project, which continued for almost a decade, reportedly helped establish the foundation for the neural engine that first appeared in the iPhone X in 2017.

Apple later integrated neural processing technology into its processors for Mac computers.

The company is also reportedly developing a more powerful server for Apple Intelligence based on the M5 Ultra chip under the internal code name J246.

Apple engineers are also said to be working on a server processor based on the M7 Ultra for a possible launch by 2029.

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