Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC) is beginning to use generative artificial intelligence to streamline the design of the chips that power its devices, a move the company says could significantly reduce complexity and boost productivity.
“Generative AI techniques have a high potential in getting more design work in less time,” Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said during a recent speech in Belgium.
Srouji offered rare insight into Apple’s internal development process, tracing its journey from the A4 chip in the 2010 iPhone 4 to its current lineup powering iPads, Macs, and the Vision Pro headset. As Apple’s chips grow more advanced, Srouji said AI can help coordinate increasingly complex hardware and software tasks.
The company is also working with chip supplier Broadcom (AVGO.O) on a server processor, codenamed “Baltra,” designed to support Apple’s AI tools in the cloud. The chip is part of Apple’s “Private Cloud Compute” system, which aims to deliver server-based AI features while protecting user privacy.
Apple relies heavily on software from electronic design automation (EDA) firms like Synopsys (SNPS.O) and Cadence (CDNS.O), both of which are integrating more AI into their tools.