75%
Probable
The increased high-bandwidth memory requirement of Large Language Models is why Apple and its Mac Studio lineup have gained significant traction while also targeting the workstation market, where consumers demanded the absolute best in raw compute and graphics performance, but in a package that wouldn’t take up any room. Unfortunately, a decent chunk of revenue will be lost as Apple attempts to steer past the DRAM shortage, with a new report stating that the refreshed Mac Studio isn’t going to launch as early as expected.
With older M3 Ultra and M4 Max options belonging to the Mac Studio unavailable, the only alternatives to running local LLMs are the M5 Max MacBook Pro, but unified RAM capacity is limited
A previous report stated that DRAM manufacturers are only expected to meet 60 percent of the entire demand through 2027, and despite Apple picking up memory supply to starve competitors, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will have sufficient shipments for its high-end products like the M5 Ultra Mac Studio, which can typically offer up to a whopping 512GB of unified memory.
In Mark Gurman’s latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, the incredibly powerful workstation refresh isn’t expected to launch until October. Previously, the Bloomberg correspondent stated that the M5 Ultra was scheduled to arrive in the first half of 2026, but with the latest report talking about a delay, Apple is facing a different conundrum.
For those wondering if the Cupertino firm’s local LLM revenue can be maintained by picking up the M3 Ultra and M4 Max options, that’s another issue. At the time of writing, all 256GB unified memory options belonging to the Mac Studio are unavailable on Apple’s online store, and if, by chance, a possibility arises that you place an order, the company will likely cancel it and provide an M5 Ultra replacement instead.
Currently, there are no alternatives to powerful hardware that can run local LLMs with increased memory, with NVIDIA’s RTX PRO 6000 limited to 96GB of GDDR7 VRAM and priced between $6,500 and $9,500. For now, those who want to purchase Macs specifically for local LLMs can opt for the 128GB unified memory version of the M5 Max MacBook Pro, but even then, don’t expect multi-billion-parameter models to run swiftly.
While it’s demonstrated that an iPhone 17 Pro can run a 400B model locally with just 8GB RAM, at 0.6t/s speeds, it’s obviously not viable, even when running a quantized version. In short, Apple will be missing out on a decent slice of the pie with the refreshed Mac Studio.
News Source: Bloomberg
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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