Mac Pro M2 just tipped for 2023 — with 48 CPU cores and 152 GPU cores

Paris, France - Nov 26, 2021: People inside Apple Computers Store with new Mac Pro workstation with Apple XDR display

(Image credit: Hadrian/Shutterstock)

The Apple M2 chip launched at WWDC 2022 and it has already worked its way into a lot of Apple’s product lines. Just last week we got two new iPad Pro 2022 models and two new MacBook Pros are expected to come by the end of the year.

Now it looks like we may get a new Mac Pro desktop running on Apple’s latest silicon. Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman says that Apple is actively testing a Mac Pro with an M2 processor. The processor on this test model is rumored to feature a 24-core CPU M2 chip, which is significantly more than the 8-core M2 chip currently available.

In fact, it looks like this Mac Pro is tipped to feature two new M2 chips, which Gurman dubs the M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme. The M2 Ultra is rumored to have 24 CPU cores and 76 GPU cores, and the M2 Extreme is suggested to get double the performance of the M2 Ultra, with 48 CPU cores and a whopping 152 GPU cores. Gurman writes this ultra-powerful desktop will also be able to feature up to 256GB of RAM, and the test model is rumored to have 192GB of RAM.

If you are hoping to get your hands on the next-generation M2 Mac Pro you’ll need some patience. Gurman says that we won’t see it until 2023 at the earliest, and rumors suggest the new M2-powered MacBook Pros and Mac mini 2022 would need to come out prior to the new Mac Pro. Luckily, most people will find this desktop to be overkill, reserving the rumored desktop for those that need truly insane computing power.

Apple M2 lineup

iPad Pro 2022 — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While the new 14-inch MacBook Pro M2, 16-inch MacBook Pro M2, Mac mini 2022 and Mac Pro M2 are all still rumored, we do already have a fair amount of M2-powered Apple devices.

Shortly after WWDC 2022, Apple gave us a brand-new MacBook Air M2 (2022) and an updated MacBook Pro 13-inch M2 (2022). We initially thought the MacBook Air M2 was the better choice over the MacBook Pro 13-inch M2. The superior design, better webcam and bigger display make it a better choice for most users, and months later our opinion hasn’t changed.

Of course, the newest member of the M2-powered family is the new iPad Pro 2022. This, like the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2, was more of a slight update rather than a full-scale refresh. The good news is that it still means that the iPad Pro 2022 is a great tablet with excellent battery life and an even better processor. The bad news is that we aren’t seeing significant reasons so far to encourage users to update. Make sure to stay tuned to our iPad Pro 2022 12.9-inch review in progress to get our final thoughts.

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.