After switching to Apple silicon by adopting the M2 Ultra chip in 2022, the Mac Pro is widely expected to receive an upgrade to the as-yet-unannounced M4 Ultra chip this year.
Apple last updated the Mac Pro in June 2023, adding an M2 Ultra chip and officially completing the transition away from Intel chips. Apple will refresh the Mac Pro in the summer of 2025, according to Mark Gurman. Like the Mac Studio, the next Mac Pro will skip the M3 series. Instead it will be equipped with the highest-end version of the M4 chip, codenamed “Hidra.” Based on the description of the chip, it could be positioned as an “Ultra” or “Extreme” chip. Gurman has said the M4 Ultra chip in the next Mac Pro will “probably” have up to a 32-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU, which would be double the M4 Max’s up to 16-core CPU and up to 40-core GPU. It could also support up to 512GB of memory, a notable increase over the current 192GB limit.
By the time the M4 Ultra Mac Pro is released, the current Mac Pro design will be over five years old. While there was a strong case for extensive PCIe expansion with the Intel-based Mac Pro in 2019, because it supported MPX modules and third-party graphics cards, that is no longer the case since the transition to Apple silicon. Likewise, though reviewers praised the Apple silicon Mac Pro’s performance, questions have been raised about the device’s purpose and high price point. It is also noticeable that by the summer of 2025, the current Mac Pro will be three years old.
Read more at MacRumors.com