Apple silicon

Apple silicon is a family of system-on-chip processors designed by Apple for its devices. These chips integrate CPU, graphics, memory, and other functions on a single package.

System on a chip: An integrated circuit that combines a computer’s main processing components and peripherals on one chip. Apple silicon packages CPU, graphics, memory, and other functions into a system-on-chip.
Apple A4: Apple’s first system-on-chip, introduced in 2010 and used in the original iPad and iPhone 4. The A4 began Apple’s use of its own silicon in consumer devices.
Apple M1: Apple’s first M-series system-on-chip for Mac computers, released in 2020. M1 launched the Apple silicon era for Mac.
x86-64: A 64-bit instruction-set architecture used by processors from Intel and AMD. Apple silicon’s Arm-based CPUs differ from the x86-64 processors used in earlier Macs.
Unified memory architecture: A design in which processors share a common pool of memory rather than using separate memory pools. Apple silicon’s CPU and GPU access shared memory, reducing data copying between them.
Apple A-series: Apple’s family of system-on-chip processors designed primarily for iPhone and iPad. The A-series established Apple’s chip-design program before Apple silicon Macs.
Apple M3: Apple’s 2023 generation of M-series chips, built using a three-nanometer process. M3 illustrates later Mac chips’ use of newer fabrication and graphics features.
Intel Core: Intel’s family of x86 processors for personal computers and other devices. Intel Core processors were the principal Mac CPU alternative before Apple’s transition.
Apple GPU: The graphics processing units designed by Apple and integrated into its silicon chips. Its integrated GPU shares chip resources and unified memory with the CPU.
Intel transition to Apple silicon: Apple’s 2020–2023 migration of Mac computers from Intel processors to Apple-designed chips. This transition made Apple silicon the standard processor platform for Mac.

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