M5 chip enters mass production, ready for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, Vision Pro

We’re expecting to see an M5 chip powering this year’s MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. That chip has now entered mass production, according to a new supply-chain report.

Not much is known about it for sure, though it is expected to have enhanced AI performance, and it’s also been suggested that it may have a somewhat different design to previous M-series chips …

M5 chip for three 2025 products

We’re expecting to see the M5 chip used for 2025 models of the:

• MacBook Pro
• iPad Pro
• Vision Pro

Of these, the most significant may be the Vision Pro, as the chip is expected to bring Apple Intelligence features to the spatial computer – something not available on the existing M2-powered model. That’s not because the M2 chip can’t run AI, but rather than the chip isn’t powerful enough to simultaneously take care of all the visionOS processes and Apple Intelligence on top. The rest of the hardware design is expected to remain largely or wholly unchanged.

The MacBook Pro may get a significant power boost through a new chip packaging process, according to a Ming-Chi Kuo report late last year.

One of the key elements of Apple’s A-series and M-series chips is the System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design which tightly integrates all the components within a single package. This includes both CPU and GPU.

But a new report suggests that the M5 Pro chip may take a different approach of having more separated CPU and GPU in order to improve performance and boost production yields

In particular, this could boost AI performance.

However, those considering an upgrade from an older MacBook Pro model may want to hold out for the 2026 model, which is rumored to be in line for a “total redesign” that will see it get thinner and lighter.

Now in mass production

ETNews reports that the M5 chip is now in mass production.

Apple has started mass production of the next-generation semiconductor chip ‘M5’. It is a semiconductor installed in Apple’s core products such as the Mac series and iPad. It is understood that Apple has introduced new process technology to enhance artificial intelligence (AI) performance.

The report suggests that production has begun with the base M5 chip, with the M5 Pro, Max, and Ultra variants to follow.

In addition to boosted performance, the chip is also reported to run cooler, meaning that it will be able to run at full power for longer periods before thermal throttling kicks in.

Image: Michael Bower/9to5Mac

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