Apple will skip its high-end M6 Mac chips and fast-track an AI-focused M7 generation for 2027, report claims - may release a base M6 chip for entry-level Macs this year

Apple to Skip High-End M6 Chips, Fast-Track AI-Focused M7 Generation

Apple will release a base M6 chip for entry-level Macs this year but skip the Pro and Max versions of that generation, jumping instead to an accelerated M7 family built around on-device AI, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Pro, Max, and Ultra tiers move to the M7 line as Apple chases memory bandwidth for on-device AI. It's the first time since the M1 that a generation would arrive without higher-end variants, and it pulls the M7 forward by as much as six months, with Pro and Max parts now due in late 2027 and an Ultra in 2028.

M6 Chip Details

The M6, codenamed Komodo, is set for entry-level machines, including a refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro, which has seen unprecedented price rises to $1,999.

According to the report, which quotes individuals who asked not to be named, it reaches around 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth against 153 GB/s on the M5, with a redesigned GPU carrying up to 12 cores, up from 10.

Every family from the M1 through the M5 paired its base silicon with Pro and Max derivatives, and three of them also gained an Ultra.

M7 Generation and AI Focus

The base M7, codenamed Delos, targets roughly 240 GB/s and could come in the first half of 2027, with the Pro, Max, and Ultra parts grouped internally under the Andros codename.

Apple is fast-tracking the line to meet demand for on-device AI and heavier graphics work. Apple has declined to comment, and none of the specifications or dates have been confirmed by the company.

Memory bandwidth dictates how fast a chip can move the large data blocks, the main bottleneck for AI inference, and the climb from 153 GB/s to 200 GB/s to a planned 240 GB/s is a roughly 56% bandwidth increase from M5 to base M7. Those are figures for the base parts.

The current M3 Ultra already delivers up to 819 GB/s by fusing two Max dies, which is why the high-end tiers, not the base chips, carry the heaviest local-AI workloads.

The M6 also reportedly pairs an upgraded Neural Engine with faster GPU and CPU cores.

M5 Ultra and Mac Studio Plans

Apple is still planning to release an M5 Ultra this year, codenamed Sotra, with around 36 CPU cores, 80 GPU cores, and tested support for up to 768 GB of unified memory. It would refresh a Mac Studio that currently runs the M3 Ultra, after Apple skipped an M4 Ultra altogether.

That 768 GB ceiling sits against a current M3 Ultra Mac Studio capped at 96 GB, after Apple pulled its 512 GB tier and raised the 96 GB-to-256 GB upgrade to $2,000, then dropped the 128 GB option as well.

Whether the highest M5 Ultra memory tiers reach buyers depends on supply constraints; those haven't eased and are unlikely to in the near future.

Price Increases and Industry Context

Apple raised prices across its Mac and iPad lines on Thursday, part of a crunch that outgoing CEO Tim Cook called a "hundred-year flood" in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, blaming AI server demand for pulling high-bandwidth memory away from consumer hardware.