I'm trying to determine the best configuration for timelapse editing. I'm using the usual suspects, LRC, LRT, DR. My primary issue/bottleneck is exporting 16-bit TIFF files from LRC. My data is stored on a QNAP NAS and I can access it via a 2019 iMac (i9) or an M1 Macbook Pro. I've tried vairous methods of export - iMac and Macbook read/write LR files on the NAS via Thunderbolt.... iMac and Macbook read/write LR files from local folder on internal SSD.... iMac and Macbook read/write LR files from folder on external SSD via Thunderbolt. The intermediate TIFF files are typically 200Mb. My export performance is generally between 12 files per minute (MacBook) and 8 files per minute (iMac). I need to come up with a quicker solution for exporting these files since I typically have 25,000 files to process from a TL shoot. Is there an optimal configuration or process to handle large numbers of files with the hardware I currently own, or is it going to take more capable hardware?

Try switching the Graphic Acceleration in Lightroom on/off for the export. In most cases I experienced, without the acceleration the export is often faster on many systems.

Generally I would only use 16 bit TIFF intermediaries for selected sequences that need additional grading in post, if absolutely necessary. They take long to export, need a lot of bandwdith on your network etc. Usually, if you do the regular LRTimelapse workflow and do the editing on Raw file basis and export the "final" clips that won't be altered much in the video editor anymore, 8bit TIFF intermediaries or even JPGs (depending on the sequences) might be absolutely fine.

Also it might be good to have the image sets that you are working on on a large and really fast local or even thunderbolt ssd and not work directly from a NAS via Ethernet. This also goes for the export path (Intermediary files and video).