I cook it and I eat it. This is what Apple intends to do in its new Apple Silicon project. Not only is he going to do without Intel for the next processors in future ARM Macs, but it seems that AMD it goes the same way with its GPUs: it is going to eat them with potatoes (on Apple computers, of course).
It is not quite clear, but looking at the documentation of the Apple Silicon project, the graphics processors of future ARM Macs will also be custom built for Apple.
Apple's support documentation seems to suggest that switching from current Macs to Apple silicon will remove support for non-company GPUs. Goodbye to AMD Radeon.
Craig Federighi first announced the transition to Apple Silicon in its WWDC keynote on June 22. Since then, more details have come out on exactly what the move from Intel processors to a new ARM architecture will entail.
For example, in a developer session at WWDC 2020 focused on migrating Metal applications to the new ARM architecture, Apple made it clear that its future Apple Silicon Macs will mount a Apple's own GPU.
Own graphics processor
Apple's graph leaves no doubt: Apple GPU.
"Apple Silicon Mac contains an Apple-designed GPU, while Intel-based Macs contain GPUs from Intel, AMD and NVIDIA," he commented a few days ago. Gokhan Avkarogullari, Apple's director of GPU software.
And this does not end here. As part of the shift to Apple's GPUs on its Mac hardware, the company is also giving developers other clues as to what's to come. In a developer support document, the company advises don't underestimate an integrated Apple GPU.
"Don't assume a separate GPU means better performance," an Apple engineer wrote these conference days. “The GPU built into Apple processors is optimized for high-end graphics tasks. high performance. » Clearer, water.
There is no indication in Apple Silicon documentation that Apple will discontinue support for AMD GPUs for Mac Intel in future versions of macOS, but the above statement may also suggest that there may still be a path to compatibility with PCI-E GPU from third parties in the future.
Apple has been working on GPU hardware and software for years. The iPhone 8 and iPhone X devices from 2017 were the first to have Apple-designed graphics solutions. Will Apple be able to design its own graphics processors that measure up to AMD or a NVIDIA current?