M2 Pro SoC, the Apple's path of innovative advancements

Apple introduced M2, its second-generation silicon for computing in 2022 and this year released upgraded versions – the M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra. What are the latest innovations proposed by the leading chip company? What are the technologies behind the introduction? Yole SystemPlus, the reverse engineering and costing company, part of Yole Group, has conducted a full physical and cost analysis of the new Apple M2 Pro SoC, with insights into the manufacturing, packaging, memory, and IP. It also delivers a complete cost analysis and consumer price estimation.

What’s inside?

The M2 Pro SoC enables 4.7 times the imaging processing power for the Mac mini compared to the Intel-based version. This version has twice as many transistors as the M2 to support up to 12 CPU cores and 19 GPU cores. It also has twice the memory bandwidth, compared to the M2.

The CPU cores used in the M2 Pro are the new Avalanche and Blizzard, whereas the M1 series uses Firestorm and Icestorm cores. The number of cores has also increased from eight to 12 for the M2 Pro series and from 10 to 12 in the case of the M2 Max series.

The report begins with an accurate teardown on the Apple Macbook Pro 14. This study reveals the components on the motherboard and details of the SoC die. It progresses to analyse the package and SoC die physical analysis, the back-end SoC packaging, and the FEOL stage of the TSMC 5nm process. The comprehensive report also examines the structure of the SoC and provides a complete cost analysis and selling price estimation of the M2 Pro SoC.

Ying-Wu Liu, Technology and Cost Analyst at Yole SystemPlus, Part of Yole Group, comments: “This report includes an exhaustive study of the SoC with its cross sections to show the material, structure, and design by using CT scanning, also called 3D X-ray, optical microscope scanning, SEM, and delayering. In addition, we show a high-resolution TEM cross-section of the SoC die to reveal the TSMC 5nm technology. Furthermore, the floorplan of the SoC die is presented . . . to provide a clear view of the IP blocks. Last, but not least, the report also presents a comparison of M1 Pro and M2 Pro from the packaging, die, and floorplan point of view.”

The M2 Pro SoC die has SRAM and four external LPDDR5 DRAM packages, which is two more than the M1 Pro. In the M1 Pro, these DRAM are exposed but the M2 Pro introduces an IHS on top of the DRAM to improve thermal management.

The new SoC integrates MLCCs and passive devices. For both the M2 Pro and M1 Pro SoC die, DRAM and capacitors are assembled using SiP with FCBGA packaging, but the IHS in the M2 Pro increases thermal performance.

The M1 and M2 SoC die have a similar physical structure and the same 5nm manufacturing processes, with some upgraded IP blocks in the M2 Pro. While both the M1 Pro and M2 Pro integrate IPD and SMD, the upgraded M2 Pro package size is only 2% larger than the M1 Pro. Both have PMIC on the reverse of the motherboard, albeit different part versions for each SoC.

Yole SystemPlus reverse engineering and costs reports are the result of detailed physical and costing analyses. They are carried out by experts with academic and industrial backgrounds in the semiconductor domain. They offer a clear and fruitful understanding of the technical choices made by the leading manufacturers. It also reveals accurate insights related to manufacturing costs. Based on daily technical and industrial monitoring, Yole SystemPlus has significant expertise to support innovation.