What you should know
“`html
- Apple discontinued the development of the Apple Car after a decade and a significant investment, having developed a highly advanced chip potentially equivalent to four M2 Ultra chips.
- The speculated chip for the Apple Car could have featured 536 billion transistors, a 96-core CPU, and a 304-core GPU, showcasing an unprecedented level of power and efficiency.
- Apple’s use of “UltraFusion” technology, previously applied to combine M1 Max chips into the M1 Ultra and M2 Max chips into the M2 Ultra, suggests a method for creating this powerful chip.
- The discontinuation of the Apple Car project left questions about the future of the developed technologies, including whether the advanced chip’s specifications will appear in future Apple products like the rumored M3 Ultra.
“`
Full Story
Last month, Apple threw in the towel on the Apple Car. Yep, after a decade and a whopping ten billion dollars, they just stopped. Can you believe it? They were working on an autonomous vehicle, something straight out of sci-fi movies. And get this – they even built a new chip for it. Rumor has it, this chip was a beast, supposedly packing the same punch as four M2 Ultra chips combined!
Now, let’s talk numbers. Each M2 Ultra chip is no slouch, with 134 billion transistors, a 24-core CPU, a 76-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. So, stitching together four of these bad boys? We’re talking about a chip with 536 billion transistors, a 96-core CPU, and a 304-core GPU. Mind-boggling, right?
But here’s the kicker. There’s no solid proof that the chip Apple planned for the Apple Car was exactly equivalent to four M2 Ultra chips. However, the number of transistors in a chip? That’s a big deal. It’s what makes a chip powerful and energy-efficient.
Apple had this “UltraFusion” tech. It’s how they fused two M1 Max chips into the M1 Ultra and did the same with the M2 Max chips to get the M2 Ultra. So, they were probably aiming to create this monster chip from four M2 Ultra chips for the Apple Car. Imagine the power!
Switching gears a bit, let’s talk design. The Apple Car’s recent designs? They kinda looked like the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle. Pretty sleek, if you ask me.
Now, for a bit of perspective. The A17 Pro application processor, the brain behind the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, has 19 billion transistors. That’s just 3.5% of what the Apple Car’s chip might have had. Wccftech spilled the beans that Apple’s new chip for the Apple Car was almost ready. Then, bam, project’s dead. Could this have been the M3 Ultra in the making?
When Apple finally unveils the M3 Ultra, it’ll be interesting to see if any specs match the rumored chip for the Apple Car. One thing’s for sure, though. TSMC, the biggest foundry out there, would’ve been the one making it. Just a little food for thought.
