No, it isn't. It's toe-to-toe on single core performance, sometimes faster, but slower in multicore.

Yeah but zen3 only pulls off matching M1 Firestorm by using 60% higher clock frequency and thus running a lot hotter.

At same clock frequency t he Zen3 would have been destroyed by the M1

Yes, but Apple also used their financial muscle to secure all of the 5nm capacity from TSMC. We're not comparing apples with apples here.

>Apple also used their financial muscle to secure all of the 5nm capacity from TSMC

It would be more accurate to describe Apple was the only customer willing to pay and has enough volume.

If you mean AMD couldn't match what Apple was willing to pay when you say "Apple was the only customer willing to pay", then absolutely. Otherwise, when push comes to shove in a bidding war with Apple, I don't think AMD really has a chance.

That's grossly mis-characterising the relationship between clock speed, performance and power consumption/heat dissipation in chip design.

And yet at the same power in multicore tasks Zen 2 outperforms the M1.