Apple silicon
Apple's in-house ARM-based SoCs and SiPs for nearly all devices.
Apple silicon is the name for the family of system on a chip (SoC) and system in a package (SiP) designs that Apple builds in-house, mostly based on the ARM architecture. The lineup also includes specialized chips for wireless connectivity and other device-specific functions. These chips power nearly every Apple product: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirTag, HomePod, and Apple Vision Pro.
Apple’s first self-designed SoC was the A4, which launched in 2010 inside the original iPad. It later appeared in the iPhone 4, the fourth-generation iPod Touch, and the second-generation Apple TV.
At WWDC 2020, Apple announced it would move the Mac to its own chips, coining the term Apple silicon for the entire lineup. The first Macs with Apple silicon, using the M1 chip, arrived on November 10, 2020. The Mac lineup finished switching to Apple silicon in June 2023.
Apple does not manufacture its own chips; it designs them and outsources production to contract foundries like TSMC and Samsung. Apple controls how its silicon integrates with both its hardware and software.
Apple uses chip binning to cut costs. During binning, chips with a defect—often a faulty GPU core—have that part disabled, turning an otherwise useless chip into a lower-spec but working one. This boosts manufacturing yield and lets Apple offer products at different price points without designing separate chips for each tier. For example, entry-level MacBook Air models have shipped with M-series chips that have one or two GPU cores disabled, and the iPhone 17e uses a binned A19 with fewer GPU cores than the standard iPhone 17.
Different Apple silicon chips have different hardware, firmware, and software security features. The same is true for the Apple Secure Enclave inside them. In general, the newer the release year, the more security features both the chip and the Secure Enclave have. Apple silicon cryptographic modules are certified to FIPS 140-2 and FIPS 140-3, with newer chips reaching higher FIPS security levels for hardware, firmware, and software. The Mac is designed to run any code, so it lacks the feature that prevents unverified code from running on other Apple silicon devices.
**A-series SoCs**
The A series is a family of SoCs used in the iPhone, some iPad models (including the iPad Mini and entry-level iPad), the MacBook Neo, and the Apple TV.
- First apple-designed soc
- Apple A4 (2010)
- First mac with apple silicon
- Apple M1 (November 10, 2020)
- Mac transition completion
- June 2023
- Primary foundries
- TSMC and Samsung
- Fabrication process (a4)
- 45 nm
- Fabrication process (a5 32 nm variant)
- 32 nm
- Fabrication process (a6)
- 32 nm HKMG
Lore & Background
Apple silicon encompasses a range of chips, including the A-series SoCs used in iPhone, certain iPad models, MacBook Neo, and Apple TV, as well as the M-series chips that powered the Mac transition announced at WWDC 2020. The first Macs with Apple silicon, built around the Apple M1, were unveiled on November 10, 2020, and the Mac lineup completed its transition in June 2023. As a fabless manufacturer, Apple designs its chips in-house but outsources production to contract foundries including TSMC and Samsung, controlling integration across both hardware and software.
Apple employs chip binning as a cost-reduction strategy, where chips with a manufacturing defect—typically a GPU core—have the affected part disabled, converting an otherwise unusable chip into a lower-specification but functional one. This improves manufacturing yield and allows products at different price points without designing separate chips for each tier. Examples include entry-level MacBook Air models with M-series chips having one or two GPU cores disabled, and the iPhone 17e using a binned A19 with fewer GPU cores than the standard iPhone 17.
Different Apple silicon have different hardware, firmware, and software security features, with the Apple Secure Enclave inside them also varying. The higher the release year number, the higher the number of security features and the higher the FIPS security level for hardware, firmware, and software, with cryptographic modules certified to FIPS 140-2 and FIPS 140-3. Mac is designed to run any code, so it does not have the feature that prevents unverified code from running on other Apple silicon.
Reader's Guide
Apple silicon represents a strategic shift for Apple, moving from reliance on third-party chip suppliers to in-house design across nearly all product lines. The A-series began with the A4 in 2010, used in the first iPad and later the iPhone 4, and evolved through successive generations with custom CPU cores like Swift (A6) and improved GPUs. The M-series extended this to Macs, completing the transition from Intel processors in June 2023. By controlling both hardware and software integration, Apple can optimize performance and power efficiency, as seen in the A4's emphasis on power efficiency and the A5's claims of twice the CPU work and up to nine times the graphics performance over its predecessor. The use of chip binning allows Apple to offer products at different price points without designing separate chips, improving manufacturing yield. Security features vary by release year, with higher-year chips offering more features and higher FIPS certification levels. The A-series chips also demonstrate Apple's iterative design approach, with variants like the A5X and A6X offering enhanced graphics and memory bandwidth for larger devices like iPads. Overall, Apple silicon has become a defining element of Apple's product ecosystem, enabling consistent performance and feature integration across devices.
Did You Know?
- The Apple A4 was the first SoC Apple designed in-house, debuting in 2010 with the first-generation iPad.
- Apple uses chip binning to disable defective GPU cores, converting otherwise unusable chips into lower-specification functional ones.
- The A5X has a quad-core GPU and a quad-channel memory controller providing 12.8 GB/s bandwidth, roughly three times that of the A5.
- The A6 uses a custom Apple-designed ARMv7-based dual-core CPU called Swift, rather than a licensed CPU from ARM.
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