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In a risky move that could change the way artificial intelligence (AI) hardware is made, Apple is allegedly making its own AI computer chips.¹ This change is part of Apple’s ongoing plan to combine its supply chain from top to bottom.⁴
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) powerful 3nm method is likely to be used to make the new AI server chip.¹ Apple has worked with TSMC for a long time and is known for its cutting-edge semiconductor methods that offer big improvements in speed and energy economy over the 5nm and 7nm nodes that came before.⁴
Apple’s choice to make its own computer chips could lead to technologies that are faster and more powerful. Apple can improve the speed of its data centers and future AI tools that use the cloud by making hardware that works better with its software.
A lot of tech companies focus on providing AI services through servers on the internet, but Apple is likely to focus on AI solutions that run on devices². big Neural Processing Unit (NPU) parts could be built into future Apple mobile devices to speed up machine learning methods and big language models². This local method fits with Apple’s promise to put user privacy first.
But some AI jobs, like training big language models, might not be possible on local machines for a while yet. In this case, Apple might benefit from having a special chip made just for server-based AI acceleration.
This change could also be seen as Apple’s attempt to compete with Nvidia, which is the market leader in AI acceleration. Many businesses are trying to get silicon independence by designing their own chips, so Apple’s move might shake things up.
The rumors about Apple’s work on an AI server chip come from “Phone Chip Expert,” a Weibo user who is known for correctly guessing Apple’s moves in the mobile industry. The person says they have worked in the integrated circuit business for 25 years and have worked on Intel Pentium processors.
Mass production of the new AI server chip should start in the second half of 2025. Apple’s new AI plan should be well under way by the time the special chip can be put into working systems in late 2025.
To sum up, Apple’s move into AI server chips could possibly change the way AI hardware is made. As we wait for more news, one thing is clear: Apple is still fully committed to coming up with new ideas.
