Apple chose Arm for its chips
Apple is set to unveil the A18 chip based on Arm's latest V9 chip architecture at the upcoming Glowtime event, which will support more generative AI functions. The agreement signed between Apple and Arm ensures the continued use of its core intellectual property, providing Arm with significant growth momentum. The Apple Intelligence feature is expected to be fully released in 2025
Apple's large-scale Glowtime event is coming soon, and we look forward to officially seeing Apple's iPhone 16 series for the first time at the event. Rumors have been circulating for months, with the latest news suggesting that Apple will use SoftBank's Arm's latest V9 chip design in its next generation of smartphones—the upcoming M4 MacBook chip series will use the same architecture to support a range of AI features.
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to the UK's Financial Times, Apple plans to unveil the A18 chip based on Arm's latest design architecture at the event on Monday. Arm's architecture is used in almost all smartphone chips, outlining the basic working principles of the central processor at the most fundamental level.
In September last year, Apple signed an agreement with Arm, valid until "and beyond" 2040, ensuring the use of its core intellectual property Arm architecture for its iPhone and Mac chips in the foreseeable future. This multi-year licensing agreement has also provided a significant boost to Arm. Arm CEO Rene Haas previously stated that the patent fees brought by the V9 chip architecture launched in 2021 are twice that of its previous generation V8, which can be used for Apple's A17 Pro chips designed for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Apple Intelligence Takes Another Step Forward
This is Apple's latest move to introduce generative AI features under the Apple Intelligence brand into its smartphones. The full version of Apple Intelligence is expected to be released around 2025, but with the introduction of multiple features in the developer beta versions of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, we now have a good understanding of this feature.
Similar to Microsoft Copilot in Windows, Apple Intelligence can automatically perform tasks within the operating system and run across devices (as long as they run on M series chips or A17 or higher versions on iPhones). Some notable features include generating text or images, rewriting text to make it more attractive or clearer, removing distracting objects from the background or identifying users in photos, and upgrading Siri to understand and respond to more natural language.
However, running AI models on devices requires a significant amount of computing power, which means that if Apple wants to introduce Apple Intelligence into something as pocket-sized as an iPhone, it will need top-notch, energy-efficient chip technology.
The Apple event is coming soon, so let's wait and see Source: The content is from tomsguide's semiconductor industry observation. The original title is "Apple Chips, Still Chose Arm"