Apple is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the development of its custom-designed semiconductors, according to Johny Srouji, the company’s senior vice president of hardware technologies.
Srouji’s remarks were made last month during a private speech in Belgium, where he received an award from Imec, an influential semiconductor research organisation that collaborates with many of the world’s leading chipmakers. A recording of the speech was reviewed by Reuters.
In the address, Srouji traced the evolution of Apple’s chip development from the A4, the first custom chip powering the iPhone in 2010, to the advanced silicon now embedded in Mac computers and the recently launched Vision Pro headset. He emphasised the strategic importance of embracing cutting-edge tools, including electronic design automation (EDA) software, and hinted that generative AI could be the next frontier.
A Vision for Smarter Silicon
While Srouji did not provide detailed timelines or concrete implementation plans, his comments mark a rare public acknowledgement that Apple is actively considering generative AI as a core component of its future chip design process. Generative AI tools, which are capable of producing new code, designs, or solutions based on training data, could significantly streamline the complex and time-intensive work of silicon development.
The move aligns with a broader industry trend: as the demand for increasingly powerful and efficient chips grows, especially in consumer electronics, AI devices, and wearables, leading tech firms are seeking new ways to automate and optimise chip architecture.
Srouji’s emphasis on staying at the technological forefront suggests Apple aims to gain not just performance advantages, but also design efficiencies and faster iteration cycles, both crucial in maintaining its competitive edge in hardware innovation.
A History of In-House Chip Innovation
Apple’s strategy of developing its own silicon has played a central role in its hardware evolution. Starting with the A4 chip more than a decade ago, the company gradually reduced its reliance on third-party chipmakers like Intel and Qualcomm.
Today, Apple’s A-series chips power its iPhones and iPads, while the M-series chips, beginning with the M1, have transformed the performance landscape of Mac computers. These in-house processors offer Apple unprecedented control over hardware-software integration, leading to significant improvements in energy efficiency, performance, and user experience.
According to Srouji, one of the key lessons learned in Apple’s chip design journey has been the value of adopting the most advanced tools and methodologies. The potential addition of generative AI to that toolbox appears to be the next logical step.
Why AI in Chip Design Makes Sense
The integration of AI into semiconductor design is not a new idea, but its application has rapidly matured. In recent years, chipmakers and EDA software vendors have begun deploying AI to automate logic synthesis, optimise layouts, and even predict performance bottlenecks before fabrication.
Generative AI, particularly large language models and transformer-based architectures, can assist engineers in proposing novel circuit topologies, validating designs, or even suggesting more power-efficient pathways. Given Apple’s high bar for chip performance and its closed-loop ecosystem, generative AI could serve as a key enabler for faster and more innovative iterations of custom silicon.
Looking Ahead: Competitive and Strategic Implications
Apple’s interest in generative AI comes amid a wave of announcements from rivals like NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD, all of whom are integrating AI tools into various aspects of their semiconductor workflows. But Apple’s vertically integrated approach, developing both the software and hardware under one roof, gives it a unique position to tailor AI models specifically for its design needs.
The Imec award and Srouji’s forward-looking remarks also reflect Apple’s ongoing effort to position itself not just as a consumer tech giant, but as a leader in advanced semiconductor innovation.
While Apple has historically kept its R&D strategies under wraps, this rare glimpse into its exploratory use of AI for chip design signals the company’s intent to stay at the forefront of a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
As Srouji’s speech made clear, the future of Apple’s hardware may well depend on the intelligence not just of its chips but of the systems used to create them.
