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Report: Apple Silicon iMac With Custom GPU to Launch in Second Half of 2021

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Apple will debut a powerful custom-designed graphics procesing unit in its first Arm-based iMac which is set to launch in the second half of next year, according to a new report today.

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Codenamed "Lifuka," the self-developed GPU to feature in the Apple Silicon powered iMac will be produced using TSMC's 5-nanometer manufacturing process, and will offer better performance and be more energy efficient than the Intel processor it replaces, according to the Chinese-language newspaper The China Times.
In the past, Apple introduced Mac personal computers with Intel CPUs, equipped with Nvidia or AMD GPUs, but industry insiders pointed out that Apple has cancelled support for AMD GPUs in the macOS Arm 64-bit operating system, indicating that Apple will be adopted in the future. Silicon’s Mac personal computers may use a GPU developed and designed by Apple. Recently, the industry has reported that in addition to Apple Silicon processors, Apple’s iMac desktops launched next year will also be equipped with self-developed and designed Apple GPUs.

According to relevant sources, Apple's self-developed GPU is progressing smoothly. The research and development code is Lifuka. Like the upcoming A14X processor, it is produced using TSMC's 5nm process. Apple has designed a series of processors for Mac personal computers. The new GPU will provide better performance per watt and higher computing performance. It has tile-based deferred rendering technology that allows application developers to write more powerful professional application software and game software.
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Apple announced at its WWDC developer conference in June that its Macs will transition from Intel x86-based CPUs to its self-designed Arm-based ‌Apple Silicon‌ processors over the next two years. Bloomberg has said that Apple is currently developing at least three Mac processors that are based on the 5-nanometer A14 chip that will be used in the upcoming iPhone 12 models.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the first Mac models to adopt Arm-based chips will be a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and a 24-inch iMac with a redesigned form factor, with Apple planning to launch the new models in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in 2021 at the earliest. Prior to the launch of its Arm-based ‌iMac‌, Apple is expected to refresh the existing Intel ‌iMac‌.

In contrast to Kuo's prediction, today's report claims Apple's first Arm-based Mac will be a super-lightweight 12-inch MacBook, codenamed "Tonga," that will launch by the end of 2020. In addition, the report says the A14 chip to feature in Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 lineup is codenamed "Sicilian."

Article Link: Report: Apple Silicon iMac With Custom GPU to Launch in Second Half of 2021
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/31/apple-silicon-imac-custom-gpu-2021/
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It will be interesting to see how they compare from the offerings from Nvidia and AMD. Power efficiency in a desktop is usually less important than sheer grunt so if they can pull the grunt side of things off to levels of Nvidia’s upcoming chips I will be seriously seriously impressed. In thin and light arenas where both AMD and Nvidia don’t offer much I can certainly see them competing.
 
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Back to another era of Macs being truly differentiated machines. Hedge your bets now or get ready to jump in.

Not a stretch for them to be confident in surpassing Intel in graphics. AMD/Nvidia are a different caliber though. Hope this doesn’t mean the end of eGPU support.
 
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Abazigal said:
This makes me wonder if the next iMac is going to be the equivalent of a 27” iPad Pro in terms of form factor.
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Certainly closer to an iPad than a MacBook in a different form factor. Main differentiator still remains a huge screen and a discrete GPU.

My main fear is market and developer adoption. Gaming is less of a concern but with decent Metal API support already out there it could work. I doubt we’ll see Epic at the 2021 WWDC to show us something awesome.
 
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vmistery said:
It will be interesting to see how they compare from the offerings from Nvidia and AMD. Power efficiency in a desktop is usually less important than sheer grunt so if they can pull the grunt side of things off to levels of Nvidia’s upcoming chips I will be seriously seriously impressed. In thin and light arenas where both AMD and Nvidia don’t offer much I can certainly see them competing.
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Power efficiency is getting important in desktops due to a bunch of new rules making their way in. We are starting to see this on Intel PC's with the new power standard which is just 12v instead of the multitude off rails in traditional power supplies. Regardless, it is going to be interesting seeing the new Macs and how they perform. Dropping x86 is one thing, but it is harder to imagine competing with AMD/ATi and Nvidia on anything but lower end graphics, I can imagine we are getting Macs capable of raytracing in games for instance.
 
DaveMcM76 said:
Was kind of hoping for a Mac Mini as one of the early models given that is what the dev kit was as my mid 2011 is really starting to show its age a bit now.
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The 2018 is a much faster machine than the 2011 for a short term upgrade. Also a iMac redesign would show off Apple's CPU/GPU a lot better than a wee metal box. I can see them talking about how thin it is and that it works with Apple Pencil for content creators.
 
DaveMcM76 said:
Was kind of hoping for a Mac Mini as one of the early models given that is what the dev kit was as my mid 2011 is really starting to show its age a bit now.
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I wouldn’t be too surprised to see it actually. The Mini is the closest thing to a tinkerer platform as you’ll get from a Mac, which makes it a good “pitch to enthusiasts” product.
 
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industry insiders pointed out that Apple has cancelled support for AMD GPUs in the macOS Arm 64-bit operating system, indicating that Apple will be adopted in the future.
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I wonder how old that the source of that info is, but according to this article; AMD drivers for macOS Big Sur namedrop third-gen RDNA hardware Big Sur still contains code for AMD's RDNA3 chips. That's still 2 generations ahead!

I'm not disputing consumer focussed Macs would probably be the first in line to have Apple powered graphics (probably SOC) but I don't think Apple would drop support for AMD that soon, if at all. That would leave Pro users left in the dark.
Their graphics would atleast have to match the best that's available from AMD at that moment in order not to alienate Pro customers.
 
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Hessel89 said:
I wonder how old that the source of that info is, but according to this article; AMD drivers for macOS Big Sur namedrop third-gen RDNA hardware Big Sur still contains code for AMD's RDNA3 chips. That's still 2 generations ahead!

I'm not disputing consumer focussed Macs would probably be the first in line to have Apple powered graphics (probably SOC) but I don't think Apple would drop support for AMD that soon, if at all. That would leave Pro users left in the dark.
Their graphics would atleast have to match the best that's available from AMD at that moment in order not to alienate Pro customers.
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Interesting...i think the highest pro machines will stay with Intel long before 2022.., thanks !
 
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vmistery said:
Power efficiency in a desktop is usually less important than sheer grunt
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Power == heat output, and heat (fan noise, CPU temperatures, thermal throttling, wear and tear due to large temperature changes) is a massive issue in all current Macs. Even in the Mac Pro, with no size constraints, a lot of that expensive engineering is there to achieve efficient, quiet cooling. Not to mention the constraints it places on designing CPUs and GPUs that won't melt themselves...

So power efficiency is very important in desktops - especially if, like Apple, you specialise in small-form-factor/all-in-one designs and also sell a lot to the audio/visual production market where fan noise is especially unwelcome.
 
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Will be interesting to see how they tackle an AMD Pro Vega II Duo.

Then again, if their processes are going to be as efficient as claimed, they could likely fit multiple GPUs onto a single MPX module. Now that's exciting...
 
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Something to remember- Apple has been pushing 4K for a while now with their silicone. Apple TV 4K (don’t know/remember all the specs) uses a A10x. The iPad Pro with A12z pushes 4K over usb C, I think only at 30 FPS, but we have to remember that is also powering it’s on Retina display.
so I believe for most day to day stuff Apple silicone can already do what needs to be done for single screen set ups that aren’t majorly intensive. So, I would feel any rumor coming out of the mill would be for a much bigger and grander GPU than what’s tied to their current chips (even the a13, which is only in the phones).
Personally I can’t wait to see what they bring out. 🤤
 
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vmistery said:
It will be interesting to see how they compare from the offerings from Nvidia and AMD. Power efficiency in a desktop is usually less important than sheer grunt so if they can pull the grunt side of things off to levels of Nvidia’s upcoming chips I will be seriously seriously impressed. In thin and light arenas where both AMD and Nvidia don’t offer much I can certainly see them competing.
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It's not going to be anywhere near as fast as Ampere or Big Navi - don't get your hopes up.
 
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Hessel89 said:
I wonder how old that the source of that info is, but according to this article; AMD drivers for macOS Big Sur namedrop third-gen RDNA hardware Big Sur still contains code for AMD's RDNA3 chips. That's still 2 generations ahead!
Click to expand...

Big Sur on Apple Silicon may be dropping (or, rather, never introducing) AMD support - but Apple cam't drop it from Big Sur on Intel until they're ready to end support for existing Mac hardware - including the new iMac that they released a few weeks ago.

If Apple want to retain any credibility in the pro market*, they have to actively support the Intel Mac Pro - a completely new product line only released at the end of last year - for a couple more years yet which, realistically, means keeping the MPX AMD GPU cards up to date until/unless they're ready to release their own MPX cards and eGPUs.. It's not hard to guess that the Mac Pro will be the last system to move to AS.

...and it's not even clear from the rumour that this new GPU is going to be discrete or if it's going to be part of an "Apple Silicon Pro" system-on-a-chip, so Apple GPU cards/eGPUs might not ever be a thing. Or, maybe, the ARM Mac Pro will be a chassis for multiple MPX 'compute' cards containing Apple Silicon SOCs.

* Of course, Apple has already dead-ended the Mac Pro range twice so maybe credibility isn't an issue for them.
 
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iBug2 said:
It will be faster than whatever is available today in the current iMac. So it will be faster than 5700XT for sure.
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Which is 1st generation Navi (and I don't think it will be faster, but possibly about the same on the high end). The SotTR demo they showed at WWDC was also very underwhelming. Yes it was on an A12Z and yes it was through rosetta but it was clearly running at minimum settings somewhere below 1080p. I think they would have come up with a better example if performance was anywhere near what AMD or NVIDIA are going to be offering.
 
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