Technology, Process and Cost
Apple M1 Ultra SoC
By Yole SystemPlus —
Full analysis of Apple’s M1 Ultra System-on-Chip (SoC). Apple’s most powerful desktop computer chip in 2022 and the first chip using TSMC’s InFO-L process to realize Apple UltraFusion.
Apple’s M1 Ultra enters a personal computer (PC) market that earned $47B for processor vendors in 2021. While the broader PC market is expected to plateau, we expect the portion of non-x86 processors to grow from around 8% to 16% of units by 2027. Apple’s M processor line plays a major role in this growth.
The advanced packaging market reached total revenue of $33.2B in 2021and is expected to record an 11% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to reach $62B in 2027. The high-end PC market is demanding more advanced packages and embedded silicon bridges are coming out as a high-performance solution. Yole Intelligence estimates 33% revenue growth from 2022 to 2023 in the embedded silicon bridge market, from $85M to $113M.
This full reverse costing study was conducted to provide insights regarding the technology data, manufacturing cost, and selling price of the Apple M1 Ultra System-on-Chip (SoC).
In 2022, Apple announced M1 Ultra to power the Mac Studio. This chip boosts Apple’s desktop computer to access marvelous performance, with a 20-core Central Processing Unit (CPU), a 32-core Neural Engine, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) with up to 64 cores and 128GB unified memory. The computing power of M1 Ultra is two M1 Max dies connected by UltraFusion that uses local silicon interconnect (LSI) to improve the latency and processor bandwidth. With this novel packaging solution, Apple silicon has once again surprised the PC industry.
In this report, the physical analysis shows that UltraFusion is realized by a chip-first, redistribution layer (RDL)-last process flow. This leads to the conclusion that Apple M1 Ultra uses TSMC’s InFO-L process to enable two processor dies to communicate by an LSI bridge. Two M1 Max dies and LSI are firstly integrated with InFO-L technology. Then, this package and eight Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) packages are assembled on the SoC substrate, embedded with capacitor Integrated Passive Devices (IPDs) with a flip-chip Ball Grid Array (BGA).
To reveal all the details of M1 Ultra chip, this report contains multiple analyses. One is a front-end construction analysis to reveal the key features of TSMC’s 5nm lithographic process, and another is a back-end construction analysis for the packaging structure. Additionally, the Coherent Tomography (CT)-scan 3D X-ray shows the layout structure of the M1 Ultra package. The complete physical analysis of the M1 Ultra package clearly reveals the TSMC InFO-L technology. Also, this report includes a detailed study of the M1 Max SoC die, LSI, IPD capacitors and their cross-sections. In addition to a complete analysis by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) cross-sections, material analyses, and delayering, we show a high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) cross-section of the TSMC 5nm technology. Lastly, this report furnishes a complete cost analysis and a selling price estimation of the Apple M1 Ultra SoC.
KEY FEATURES
- Company profile
- Advance packaging technology introduction
- Market analysis
- Detailed photos
- Precise measurements
- Front-end structural analysis with scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
- Back-end structural analysis with Coherent Tomography (CT)-scan
- Material analysis
- Manufacturing process flow
- Supply chain examination
- Manufacturing cost analysis
WHAT'S NEW
- Apple’s first self-designed SoC for desktop computers.
- Apple’s unprecedent innovation of 2.5D packaging with two M1 Max SoC dies connected by Local Silicon Interconnect (LSI).
- The first TSMC InFO-L device to realize Apple UltraFusion.
Available on our Yole Group All-Inclusive Computing Package
- Adeia
- Amkor
- Apple
- ASE Group
- Global Foundries
- Intel
- JCET
- Micron
- NVIDIA
- Powertech
- SAMSUNG
- SK hynix
- SPIL
- TSMC
- UMC
- Unimicron
Overview / Introduction
- Executive Summary
- Product Specification
- Reverse Costing Methodology
- Glossary
Company Profile
- Company Profile
- Apple M1 Series
- TSMC Packaging Solution
- Market Analysis
Physical Analysis
- Mac Studio Dismantle
- Package Analysis
- DRAM Package
- M1 Max SoC Die
- LSI
- IPD
- FEOL (TEM)
Physical Comparison
Manufacturing Process Flow Analysis
- Global View
- M1 Max Die Process
- M1 Max Die Fab unit
- InFO-L Process
- InFO-L Fab unit
- Final Assembly Process
Cost Analysis
- Summary
- Supply Chain Analysis
- Yields Hypotheses
- M1 Max SoC Die Cost
- LSI Die Cost
- InFO-L Packaging Cost
- Final Assembly Cost
- Component Cost
Selling Price
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