Apple is reportedly in the process of developing a new server chip intended to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, collaborating with semiconductor company Broadcom. This new initiative follows Apple’s previous announcement to migrate certain Apple Intelligence functions to the cloud, but the tech giant has not yet deployed a dedicated processor optimized for AI tasks. Recently, Apple has expanded its range of AI features available on iOS, iPadOS, and Mac systems, which now includes ChatGPT integration with Siri.
Apple Working on ‘Baltra’ Server Chip for AI Capabilities
According to a report by The Information, which includes insights from three sources familiar with Apple’s endeavors, the company is developing a server chip specifically targeting AI applications. Apple has a history of creating its own processors for various devices, enabling certain on-device AI functionalities. The new chip is expected to facilitate AI processing on Apple’s servers.
Referred to internally as Baltra, this upcoming server chip is set to incorporate networking technology that will manage AI tasks requested by users through cloud services.
Updates for iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2, rolled out last Wednesday, introduced several new on-device Apple Intelligence features. These updates include Genmoji and Image Playground, along with the ChatGPT integration that requires internet connectivity.
The report indicates that the development of the chip design is anticipated to be finalized within a year. However, it remains uncertain whether it will be utilized to enhance existing AI functionalities through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute (PCC) system, which was revealed earlier this year.
With PCC, Apple aims to support AI features that leverage significantly larger server-based models, which are currently run on Apple Silicon chips. This initiative is designed to handle AI tasks that exceed the capabilities of on-device processing. Earlier this year, Apple assured that user data would not be stored on PCC servers, except when necessary to manage a request, and emphasized that users would have the ability to verify the company’s privacy practices.
