Apple is preparing an M7 Ultra chip that could support up to 1.5TB of unified memory, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
If Apple ships that configuration, it would give Apple silicon its highest memory capacity yet, matching the maximum RAM configuration offered on the 2019 Intel Mac Pro.
The higher limit would represent a major jump from the upcoming M5 Ultra, which is expected to support up to 768GB of unified memory later this year.
Memory shortages could affect the final configuration
While the M7 Ultra is being designed to support up to 1.5TB of unified memory, Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter, says Apple may not ultimately offer that configuration.
Ongoing memory chip shortages have made high-capacity memory more expensive and harder to source, leaving the final specification dependent on market conditions closer to launch.
The report notes that Apple is expected to introduce the M5 Ultra before the M7 Ultra arrives. The upcoming chip is expected to support up to 768GB of unified memory, which would set a new record for Apple silicon before the M7 Ultra is expected to raise that limit further.
Apple continues expanding unified memory
One of the biggest differences between Apple silicon and older Intel-based Macs is Apple’s unified memory architecture.
Instead of using separate RAM modules, the memory is integrated into the chip package, allowing the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to share the same high-bandwidth memory pool. The trade-off is that maximum memory capacity is determined by the chip itself.
Apple has steadily increased those limits over the past few generations.
Earlier this year, Apple discontinued the 512GB unified memory option for the M3 Ultra Mac Studio. It later removed the 256GB configuration as well, leaving 96GB as the base option for the highest-end model. Customers choosing the M4 Max version can currently configure up to 128GB of unified memory.
According to Gurman, the jump to 1.5TB would bring Apple silicon in line with the maximum memory configuration previously available on the 2019 Intel Mac Pro.
Based on Apple’s current memory upgrade pricing, moving from a 128GB configuration to 1.5TB could cost more than $35,000 if Apple decides to offer that option.
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