Apple’s M5 Ultra Mac Studio targets large local AI models

Apple has introduced a new Mac Studio built around its M5 Ultra chip, positioning the desktop as a machine for running large AI models locally rather than relying entirely on cloud services. The top configuration supports up to 512GB of unified memory, a key specification for people who want to load larger language models, image generators, or custom AI tools directly onto the computer.

The M5 Ultra combines up to 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, with a Neural Accelerator in every GPU core. Apple says the chip offers up to 1.2TB/s of memory bandwidth, which can help models process prompts and generate results faster when they need to move large amounts of data through memory.

Apple says its new UltraFusion design links four chip dies into a single processor. The company claims this enables the system to treat the hardware as one shared memory pool. According to Apple’s Newsroom announcement, the design is intended for models with hundreds of billions of parameters, although actual performance will depend on the model, its compression, and the software used.

What matters for local AI users

• Memory capacity: Up to 512GB of unified memory can accommodate models that exceed the limits of most consumer PCs.
• Faster model response: Apple claims M5 Ultra delivers up to four times faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio than M3 Ultra.
• Multi machine setups: Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA support allow several Mac Studio systems to be clustered. Apple says four systems can provide up to three times the inference performance of one machine.

Apple also announced M6 for the Mac mini. It is the company’s first 2nm chip and has a 12 core CPU, 12 core GPU, and up to 32GB of unified memory. That makes it more suitable for smaller local models, everyday AI assistance, and lightweight development than for the largest models targeted by Mac Studio.

Mac Studio starts at $2,499 with M5 Max and $5,499 with M5 Ultra in the US. Apple says the 512GB configuration will arrive later in October.

Sources

• Apple Introduces New Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra – Apple
• Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra for a big leap in performance and AI compute – Apple Newsroom
• Apple says M5 Ultra uses a quad-die 3nm architecture, “a first for Apple silicon” – Engadget