Apple is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence to accelerate the design of the custom chips that power its devices, according to the company’s top hardware executive.
In private remarks delivered last month in Belgium, Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, revealed the company’s growing interest in leveraging AI to streamline chip development. The comments were made during a speech at an event hosted by Imec, a leading semiconductor R&D group that collaborates with major global chipmakers. Reuters reviewed a recording of the speech.
Srouji traced Apple’s journey in chip design, from the debut of the A4 chip in the first iPhone in 2010 to the sophisticated silicon that now powers Macs and the Vision Pro headset. He emphasized that staying on the cutting edge of chip design requires access to the most advanced tools available—including artificial intelligence-powered software from electronic design automation (EDA) firms.
The two giants in that field, Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, are both racing to integrate AI into their platforms. Srouji acknowledged their critical role, noting that “generative AI techniques have a high potential in getting more design work in less time, and it can be a huge productivity boost.”
He also discussed Apple’s bold decision in 2020 to move its entire Mac lineup away from Intel processors in favor of its own Apple Silicon chips—a move that involved no fallback option or dual-chip strategy.
“Moving the Mac to Apple Silicon was a huge bet for us,” he said. “There was no backup plan… we went all in, including a monumental software effort.”
Apple’s push into AI for chip design reflects a broader industry trend as major tech companies seek to boost efficiency and performance while reducing the complexity and time involved in creating next-generation processors.