Apple M1

Apple’s first SoC designed specifically for the Mac, combining computing engines around unified memory.

AppleSoC

Research connections

CompanyApple ↗SeriesApple M series ↗ArchitectureM1 ↗Process5 nm ↗

Specifications

8 SOURCE-LINKED FIELDS

Identity & fabrication
Record year	Manufacturer / primary sourceApple Scope: SoC design Source date: 2020-11-10 Year basis: announced. This is distinct from source publication and record update.
Process label	Manufacturer / primary sourceApple Scope: SoC design Source date: 2020-11-10
CPU & clock domains
CPU cores	Manufacturer / primary sourceApple Scope: SoC design Source date: 2020-11-10
CPU composition	Manufacturer / primary sourceApple Scope: SoC design Source date: 2020-11-10
Packaging, power & physical analysis
Transistors	Manufacturer / primary sourceApple Scope: SoC design Source date: 2020-11-10
Die area	Independent measurementYuzo Fukuzaki Scope: Base M1 physical die measured by original author; part obtained in 2020 Original analyst self-reported physical measurement. Instrument, boundary convention and uncertainty are not published. Stated area is retained; product of rounded dimensions is 122.7088 mm². Post also discusses preliminary M1 Pro/Max estimates; do not transfer those estimates.
Die width	Independent measurementYuzo Fukuzaki Scope: Base M1 physical die measured by original author; part obtained in 2020 Ordered x/y dimensions as stated by author; reference image orientation and die-edge boundary convention are not specified.
Die height	Independent measurementYuzo Fukuzaki Scope: Base M1 physical die measured by original author; part obtained in 2020 Ordered x/y dimensions as stated by author; reference image orientation and die-edge boundary convention are not specified.

THE VISUAL EVIDENCE

Visual sources

2 DOCUMENTED SOURCES

Die photographs shared by their authors on X. Open a post to explore its images and discussion.

Reptalica · @Reptalicant · View the post above ↑

These additional visual sources open on the publisher’s site.

Marketing render (not a photograph)External source ↗

Recommended source

Apple M1 marketing render on launch announcement

Apple

2020-11-10Primary source

Official product/marketing render, not a die photograph or floorplan. Link externally only; no reuse license was verified.

View original visual source

Rights, provenance & link history

Rights status: UNKNOWN
Licence: No reuse grant established
Local hosting / thumbnails / hotlinking: Not enabled / Not enabled / Not enabled
Attribution: Apple
Identity / confidence: matched / high
Evidence reviewed: 2026-09-07
Link checked: 2026-09-07 · ok · HTTP 200

Access to a source does not grant permission to reproduce its images.

Follow the connections

3 SOURCE-LINKED RELATIONSHIPS

product generationApple M2silicon design

M-series generation succession; this is not a claim of shared silicon.

Apple · Evidence

Referenced by · uses designMacBook Air (M1, 2020)system

M1 launch generation. Individual memory and GPU configurations must be identified separately.

Apple · Evidence

Family memberApple M1 Ultraproduct family

M1-family relationship, not shared die identity.

Apple · Evidence

Under the surface.

M1 combines an eight-core CPU with four performance and four efficiency cores, and brings major compute engines into a system on a chip with unified memory. Apple’s original announcement describes how these engines share the same data pool.

CURATOR INTERPRETATIONA shared memory architecture can reduce the need to copy data between separate pools. Benefits depend on workload and access patterns; the architecture alone does not establish a benchmark result.