[News] Apple May Debut M5 Ultra-Powered Mac Studio at WWDC, Boosting Demand for TSMC N3P and SoIC-mH
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is set to kick off on June 9. According to Commercial Times, beyond updates to Apple Intelligence, Siri, and macOS 27, market attention is focused on whether a next-generation Mac Studio powered by Apple’s M5 Ultra chip will also make an appearance.
The M5 Ultra is expected to retain Apple’s UltraFusion dual-die architecture, combining two M5 Max dies and delivering interconnect bandwidth of more than 1,000GB/s. Specifications are rumored to include a 36-core CPU, an 84-core GPU, and up to 512GB of unified memory, the report adds.
Notably, as the report highlights, TSMC’s N3P is expected to serve as the key manufacturing foundation for the M5 Ultra, potentially adding to demand for already tight 3nm capacity.
TSMC’s SoIC-mH Emerges as Potential M5 Ultra Enabler
TSMC’s advanced packaging is also expected to play a key role in boosting the performance of the M5 Ultra. According to institutional investors cited by Commercial Times, SoIC-mH could emerge as a core technology platform if Apple adopts a higher-density heterogeneous integration approach alongside its UltraFusion high-speed interconnect architecture.
As TechNews notes, SoIC-mH uses a molded horizontal packaging architecture and integrates multiple chips directly at the wafer level through no-bump hybrid bonding technology. The approach can increase packaging density, improve signal transmission efficiency, and enhance thermal performance.
In addition, TechPowerUp notes that TSMC’s SoIC-mH allows Apple to separate the CPU and NPU from the GPU. This enables Apple to scale CPU clusters and GPU dies independently, adding more cores as needed. The approach also gives Apple greater flexibility to expand its product lineup without pushing die sizes close to the 830 mm² reticle limit. According to the report, this can improve yields and reduce defects associated with larger silicon dies.
Despite these potential advantages, the launch timing of the next-generation Mac Studio remains uncertain. According to Macworld, citing Bloomberg, supply-chain constraints are affecting production of Apple’s next-generation professional Macs and could delay the debut of the M5 Ultra-powered system until October 2026.
Touchscreen MacBooks Could Create New Opportunities for TSMC
Meanwhile, macOS 27 is another key focus of this year’s WWDC. Commercial Times notes that Apple is expected to strengthen touch support features, laying the groundwork for future touchscreen MacBooks through the early adoption of on-cell touch panel integration.
Institutional investors cited by the report say that the shift toward OLED displays and touch-enabled MacBooks is expected to drive demand for upgraded display driver ICs, TDDI chips, and touch controllers, while also benefiting TSMC’s specialty process. The report adds that TSMC has completed reliability certification for its 16nm high-voltage process platform and is set to enter the yield-validation stage in 2026, potentially helping customers develop more competitive OLED display driver ICs.
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