Apple developing its own AI chip to power iPhones, Macs
What's the story
Apple is said to be working with semiconductor giant Broadcom to develop a custom artificial intelligence (AI) processing chip. The project, code-named Baltra, is likely to go into mass production by 2026. The chip will be produced on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's advanced N3P process. This comes as part of Apple's efforts to strengthen its AI capabilities, following the recent launch of Apple Intelligence features for iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.
Strategic partnership
AI strategy and Broadcom's role
Speaking at the recent AWS re:Invent conference, Benoit Dupin, Apple's senior director of machine learning (ML) and AI, highlighted the company's continuous technological partnerships. Broadcom, a leading player with more than 80% of the AI ASIC market, adds a lot of expertise to the partnership. The collaboration could leverage Broadcom's advanced semiconductor interconnect designs for improved chip-to-chip communications.
In-house development
Commitment to custom-designed chips
The Baltra project builds on Apple's successful track record with in-house chip design, including the M-series that replaced Intel chips in Mac laptops. Earlier this year, at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced plans to use its own chips for powering AI features. The commitment highlights the tech giant's investment in data centers and custom chips to power advanced AI tasks across its product ecosystem.