Apple discontinued the Mac Pro earlier this year, ending a 20-year run for a computer that once represented the very best of the company’s desktop lineup. However, Apple reportedly had much bigger plans for the machine before ultimately replacing it with the Mac Studio.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple developed an M3 Extreme chip that could have offered twice as many CPU and GPU cores as the M3 Ultra. The processor was intended to sit above the Ultra tier and could have finally given the Mac Pro the performance advantage it badly needed. Apple eventually abandoned the chip due to concerns over production costs and limited demand for such an expensive machine.
Apple had been working on an Extreme chip for years
Rumors about an Extreme-tier Apple chip first appeared in 2022, when Gurman reported that the company was developing an M2 Extreme for its first Apple silicon Mac Pro. The processor was expected to feature as many as 48 CPU cores and 152 GPU cores, double the rumored M2 Ultra configuration. However, it would have been extremely expensive to manufacture. Gurman estimated that an M2 Extreme Mac Pro could have cost at least $10,000 before upgrades, turning it into an extraordinarily niche product.
Engineering challenges also reportedly played a role. Apple ultimately decided that the development and production costs were difficult to justify for a computer that would sell in relatively small numbers. Bloomberg’s latest report suggests Apple later developed an M3 Extreme before cancelling that project for similar reasons.
The chip could have given the Mac Pro a reason to exist
Apple launched its first Apple silicon Mac Pro in 2023 with the same M2 Ultra chip found inside the Mac Studio. The Mac Pro offered PCIe expansion, yet it cost twice as much despite delivering nearly identical CPU and GPU performance. An M3 Extreme could have changed the equation. Gurman says the chip was designed with twice as many CPU and GPU cores as the M3 Ultra, which tops out at a 32-core CPU and an 80-core GPU.
Apple also reportedly developed an M3 Ultra Mac Pro that never reached the market. The Mac Pro remained stuck on its 2023 chip until Apple discontinued it in March, and it is not expected to return anytime soon.