Apple is basically in the same boat as AMD and Intel. They have a weak, raster-focused GPU architecture that doesn't scale to 100B+ inference workloads and especially struggles with large context prefill. TPUs smoke them on inference, and Nvidia hardware is far-and-away more efficient for training.

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brcmthrowaway 2 hours ago | parent [-]

This doesn't get talked about enough - the GPU is weak, weak, weak. And anyone who can fix them will go to a serious AI company (for 2-3x the salary).

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jorvi 2 hours ago | parent [-]

The GPU is monstrously good. Depending on the workload, the M1 series GPU using 120W could beat an RTX 3090 using 420W.

Same with the CPU. Linux compiled faster on an M1 than on the fastest Intel i9 at the time, again using only 25% of the power budget.

And the M-series has only gotten better.

It is kind of sad Apple neglects helping developers optimize games for the M-series because iDevices and MacBooks could be the mobile gaming devices.

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ethbr1 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Apples and limes.

The context of this thread isn't consumer chips, but Apple's analog to an H/B200.

	▲	jimbokun 11 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Well Apple is in the consumer computing business.
	▲	an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		[deleted]

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bigyabai an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

The GPUs are bottom-barrel for compute-focused industries. It is mobile-grade hardware that arguably can't even scale to prior Mac Pro workloads.

> The GPU is monstrously good. Depending on the workload, the M1 series GPU using 120W could beat an RTX 3090 using 420W.

You're just listing the TDP max of both chips. If you limit a 3090 to 120W then it would still run laps around an M1 Max in several workloads despite being an 8nm GPU versus a 5nm one.

> It is kind of sad Apple neglects helping developers optimize games for the M-series

Apple directly advocated for ports like Death Stranding, Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil internally. Advocacy and optimization are not the issue, Apple's obsession over reinventing the wheel with Metal is what puts the Steam Deck ahead.

Edit (response to matthewmacleod):

> Bold of them to reinvent something that hadn't been invented yet.

Vulkan was not the first open graphics API, as most Mac developers will happily inform you.

	▲	brcmthrowaway 21 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> The GPUs are bottom-barrel for compute-focused industries. It is mobile-grade hardware that arguably can't even scale to prior Mac Pro workloads. Surprised Apple didn't create a TPU-like architecture. Another misstep from John Gianneadrea.
	▲	matthewmacleod an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Apple's obsession over reinventing the wheel with Metal Bold of them to reinvent something that hadn't been invented yet.