Why did Apple release the M3 Ultra instead of the M4 Ultra?

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Apple released the M3 Ultra instead of the M4 Ultra for several reasons, according to speculation and information from Apple:

  1. UltraFusion technology: The M4 Max chip reportedly lacks the UltraFusion connector needed to combine two chips into an Ultra variant2. This technological limitation prevented Apple from creating an M4 Ultra.

  2. Deliberate strategy: Apple told journalists that not every chip generation will include an “Ultra” tier1. This suggests a planned approach to chip releases rather than a technical limitation.

  3. Production challenges: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is reluctant to develop an M4 Ultra chip from scratch due to production challenges, costs, and the relatively small sales volume of its desktop computers2.

  4. Hybrid approach: The M3 Ultra is described as a cross between M3 and M4 technologies, featuring Thunderbolt 5 support and up to 512GB of unified memory, which are improvements over the M3 Max46.

  5. Performance considerations: Despite being based on the M3 architecture, the M3 Ultra still outperforms the M4 Max in certain areas, particularly in GPU-intensive tasks4.

This approach allows Apple to offer a high-performance option while potentially aligning future Ultra chip releases with specific product launches, such as an updated Mac Pro2.

Citations:

  1. https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/05/apple-explains-lack-of-m4-ultra-chip/
  2. https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/09/m4-ultra-chip-is-unlikely/
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J0C1wFSSWE
  4. https://www.techradar.com/computing/macs/apple-mac-studio-m3-ultra
  5. https://www.macworld.com/article/2634020/apples-m3-ultra-chip-is-more-than-it-appears-to-be.html
  6. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apple-reveals-m3-ultra-taking-apple-silicon-to-a-new-extreme/
  7. https://bgr.com/tech/inside-apples-new-m3-ultra-processor/
  8. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/heres-why-apple-is-unlikely-to-release-an-m4-ultra-chip-for-macs.2452630/
  9. https://www.theverge.com/news/624193/apple-mac-studio-m4-max-m3-ultra-launch-price-specs-availability
  10. https://arstechnica.com/civis/threads/m4-max-and-m3-ultra-mac-studio-review-a-weird-update-but-it-mostly-works.1506118/
  11. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apple-unveils-new-mac-studio-the-most-powerful-mac-ever/
  12. https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/1j43qff/apple_reveals_m3_ultra_taking_apple_silicon_to_a/
  13. https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/1j3icnn/mac_studio_with_m4_max_and_m3_ultra_chips_could/

 

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