While Siri gave Apple an early lead in
voice-recognition technology, the competition answered with artificial
intelligence (AI) devices, such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Reports now
suggest that Apple is working on a new AI-enabled processor of its own.
“Two of the areas that Apple is betting its future on
require AI,” said Gene Munster, former Apple analyst and co-founder of the
venture-capital firm Loup Ventures. “At the core of augmented reality and
self-driving cars is artificial intelligence.”
The new chip will be a dedicated module designed to
control AI functions while providing battery performance, according to a Bloomberg report.
Currently, Apple products use their main processor and graphics chips to handle
AI processes.
The new AI chip is reportedly designed to handle
functions such as facial recognition in the photos application, some speech
recognition, and the iPhone’s predictive keyboard. Developers will also have
access to the chip to develop apps that can handle AI-related tasks.
Apple has been designing in-house processors since it
created the A4 chip in 2010 for the iPhone and iPad. It has also released
dedicated processors for the Apple Watch, the wireless component for its
AirPods, and the fingerprint scanner for its MacBook Pro.
The new AI chip has been tested in prototypes of the
iPhone, but there’s no word that it will be included in the next generation of
the device. Apple will introduce the iOS 11 operating system for iPhones and iPads
at its annual developers conference later this month, as well as discuss its
updates to laptops, which include faster processing chips.
