Apple has unveiled its most advanced silicon yet with the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors for MacBook Pro laptops. These new SoCs feature an 18-core CPU with six super cores, 12 performance cores, and a new M-core tier that sits between super and efficiency cores. The M5 Pro and M5 Max represent a significant shift in Apple's processor architecture.

Starting with these chips, Apple has restructured its core hierarchy, renaming performance cores to super cores and introducing M-cores as a middle tier. The efficiency core is absent from these new designs, creating a combination of performance and middle-class cores that should deliver better multithreaded performance. According to preliminary estimates, the new core configuration could boost performance by up to 20% compared to previous generations.

A major innovation in these processors is Apple's first true chiplet design using TSMC's SoIC-MH 2.5D packaging. Unlike previous Ultra SoCs that bonded two dies together, Apple has now separated the CPU/NPU from the GPU, allowing independent scaling of both components. This architectural change enables Apple to create more SKUs without hitting the reticle limit of 830 mm², improving yield and reducing the number of defective dies.