Are AMD Macs on the horizon? References to upcoming AMD processors, graphics cards and APUs (chips that combine CPUs and GPUs) have been spotted in code for macOS 10.15.4 beta 1 by Twitter user @_rogame. The code alludes to AMD’s Navi 21, Renoir, and Van Gogh, as well as other chips rumored to be in AMD’s pipeline.
MacOS 10.15.4 Beta 1
NAVI12_A0
NAVI21_A0
PICASSO_A0
RAVEN2_A0
RAVEN_A0
RENOIR_A0
VANGOGH_A0 😳 pic.twitter.com/qFBHg5L0q0— _rogame 🇵🇸 (@_rogame) February 6, 2020
Given that MacOS is currently on version 10.15.3, the code could suggest Apple is working on support for a broad array of AMD processors sooner rather than later. It also adds to previous leaks surrounding support for upcoming AMD products in the MacOS operating system.
The references to Navi 21 are particularly interesting. According to rumors, this top-secret graphics card could be twice as fast — and twice as large — as the Navi 10 chip currently inside AMD’s 5700 XT GPU…
The Ryzen 4000 generation of chips is known under the code name “Renoir,” making the reference to this particular painter in the MacOS 10.15.4 beta code especially intriguing.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote back in February 2017, “It’s almost as if AMD designed RYZEN with Apple in mind.” Do you think AMD Macs are on the horizon (WWDC 2020)?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “chefpastry” for the heads up.]