Tech giant Apple considering use of AI to speed up chip design

Apple Inc. is reportedly evaluating the use of artificial intelligence to accelerate the design process for its custom chips, according to comments made by its senior vice president of hardware technologies, Johny Srouji.

Apple’s hardware chief highlights AI potential

Speaking at the ITF World Conference in Belgium last month, Srouji emphasized the importance of adopting advanced tools for chip design complexity, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a video recording of the talk.

“EDA (electronic design automation) companies are super critical in supporting our chip design complexities,” Srouji stated. “Generative AI techniques have a high potential in getting more design work in less time, and it can be a huge productivity boost.”

Industry adoption of AI in EDA tools

Leading electronic design automation firms Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems have also incorporated AI capabilities into their offerings, as noted in the report.

Apple’s chip development journey

Srouji provided an overview of Apple’s evolution in developing custom chips, from the early iPhone processors to the latest chips powering Mac computers and the Vision Pro augmented reality headset.

Existing use of AI

Reports indicate Apple has utilized AI in its chip design processes for several years, though the company aims to more formally integrate the technology to further enhance design efficiency.

Reliance on third-party EDA solutions

Apple has long relied on third-party EDA companies that already employ AI and machine learning in their chip design services. Synopsys specifically mentions generative AI as a tool Apple depends on.