In short, Apple is transitioning their entire laptop and desktop computer lineup from using Intel CPUs to using CPUs of Apple’s own design. In this post, I'll break down what Apple Silicon means for Python users today, especially those doing scientific computing and data science: what works, what doesn't, and where this might be going. As a result, much has been written in the technology press about what the transition means for Mac users, but seldom from a Python data scientist's perspective. Even if you are not a Mac user, you have likely heard Apple is switching from Intel CPUs to their own custom CPUs, which they refer to collectively as 'Apple Silicon.' The last time Apple changed its computer architecture this dramatically was 15 years ago when they switched from PowerPC to Intel CPUs.
