Apple is fascinated by tapping generative synthetic intelligence to assist velocity up the design of the customized chips on the coronary heart of its gadgets, its prime {hardware} expertise govt stated in non-public remarks final month.
Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice chairman of {hardware} applied sciences, made the remarks in a speech in Belgium, the place he was receiving an award from Imec, an unbiased semiconductor analysis and growth group that works intently with a lot of the world’s greatest chipmakers.
Within the speech, a recording of which was reviewed by Reuters, Srouji outlined Apple’s growth of customized chips from the primary A4 chip in an iPhone in 2010 to the latest chips that energy Mac desktop computer systems and the Imaginative and prescient Professional headset.
He stated one of many key classes Apple discovered was that it wanted to make use of essentially the most cutting-edge instruments accessible to design its chips, together with the newest chip design software program from digital design automation (EDA) corporations.
The 2 greatest gamers in that trade – Cadence Design Methods and Synopsys – have been racing so as to add synthetic intelligence to their choices.
“EDA firms are tremendous vital in supporting our chip design complexities,” Srouji stated in his remarks. “Generative AI methods have a excessive potential in getting extra design work in much less time, and it may be an enormous productiveness increase.”
Srouji stated one other key lesson Apple discovered in designing its personal chips was to make large bets and never look again.
When Apple transitioned its Mac computer systems – its oldest lively product line – from Intel’s chips to its personal chips in 2020, it made no contingency plans in case the swap didn’t work.
“Transferring the Mac to Apple Silicon was an enormous wager for us. There was no backup plan, no split-the lineup plan, so we went all in, together with a monumental software program effort,” Srouji stated.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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