Apple is quietly positioning itself in the "heart" of artificial intelligence—server chips. According to The Information, citing three insiders, Apple is secretly collaborating with semiconductor giant Broadcom to develop its first server chip specifically designed for processing AI applications. This move indicates that Apple's ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence are rapidly expanding.
Apple is known for its custom-designed chips, with its "Apple Silicon" series primarily manufactured by TSMC and widely used in devices like iPhones and Macs. However, these chips are not specifically designed for AI processing, making it difficult to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.
This past Wednesday, Apple launched the highly anticipated "Apple Intelligence" feature, which includes integration with ChatGPT. While Apple plans to run most AI functions directly on devices, some compute-intensive tasks, such as Siri and Maps, will still require cloud processing. In the future, Apple will introduce more generative AI features, indicating that the demand for cloud computing power will further increase.
At this moment, Apple's server chip, codenamed "Baltra," has come into play. It is designed like an "engine" tailored for Apple's AI strategy, providing strong power for cloud AI processing.
Insiders indicate that Apple's collaboration with Broadcom focuses on the chip's networking technology, which is crucial for connecting devices to networks for AI processing. Apple's goal is to complete the design of this chip within 12 months. This means Apple is accelerating the construction of its underlying infrastructure for the AI ecosystem to meet future AI challenges.
This move not only marks another significant breakthrough for Apple in the field of self-developed chips but also suggests that it is speeding up its efforts to reduce reliance on third-party server chip suppliers, further gaining control over the core aspects of AI development. The introduction of this self-developed AI server chip will inject new vitality into Apple's AI strategy and may lead to significant changes in the industry landscape in the future.
