What software translates Intel apps for Apple silicon Macs?

Rosetta 2 translates Intel applications so they can run on Macs powered by Apple silicon. Apple introduced it in 2020 with macOS Big Sur during the transition away from Intel processors.

It is a dynamic binary translation layer: macOS can translate Intel instructions when an application first runs, and it can also translate code during execution. This lets many existing Intel-only apps work without developers immediately releasing Apple-silicon-native versions.

Rosetta 2 is not the same as Universal 2. A Universal 2 app contains both Intel and Apple-silicon code and runs natively on either architecture. Boot Camp instead provides dual-boot support for Windows on Intel Macs, while Catalyst helps developers adapt iPad apps for macOS.