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Apple is said to be developing its own AI server processor using TSMC's 3nm process, targeting mass production by the second half of 2025. According to a post by the Weibo user known as "Phone Chip Expert," Apple has ambitious plans to design its own artificial intelligence server processor. The user, who claims to have 25 years of experience in the integrated circuit industry, including work on Intel's Pentium processors, suggests this processor will be manufactured using TSMC's ‌3nm‌ node. TSMC is a vital partner for Apple, manufacturing all of its custom silicon chips. The chipmaker's ‌3nm‌ technology is one of the most advanced semiconductor processes available, offering significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency over the previous 5nm and 7nm nodes. Apple's purported move toward developing a specialist AI server processor is reflective of the company's ongoing strategy to vertically integrate its supply chain. By designing its own server chips, Apple can tailor hardware specifically to its software needs, potentially leading to more powerful and efficient technologies. Apple could use its own AI processors to enhance the performance of its data centers and future AI tools that rely on the cloud. While Apple is rumored to be prioritizing on-device processing for many of its upcoming AI tools, it is inevitable that some operations will have to occur in the cloud. By the time the custom processor could be integrated into operational servers in late 2025, Apple's new AI strategy should be well underway. The Weibo user has a number of accurate previous claims, including that the iPhone 7 would be water-resistant and that the standard iPhone 14 models would continue using the A15 Bionic chip, with the more advanced A16 chip being exclusive to the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models. These predictions were later corroborated by multiple credible sources and proved correct upon the products' release. Tags: TSMC, Artificial Intelligence, Phone Chip Expert This article, "Apple Reportedly Developing Its Own Custom Silicon for AI Servers" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Although tech giants like Samsung and TSMC currently dominate the silicon landscape, Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could potentially make its own chips in the future - and while the idea remains a tentative one, it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. Tesla spends a fortune on silicon. Its Dojo ExaPod supercomputer boasts a staggering 1.1 exaflops of computing power dedicated to training machine learning models for Tesla's self-driving technology. Musk said in February 2024 that the company will spend "over a billion dollars" on Nvidia and AMD hardware this year just to stay competitive in the AI space. Making its own AI chips would be impossible for Tesla, but it could potentially produce chips for its cars. Currently, Tesla relies on Samsung for the main chips used in its Autopilot feature. Building a chip factory to create processors specifically for that task would be a significant undertaking. Significant, but not impossible. "Tesla could do it..." A recent X exchange between Musk and legendary game developer John Carmack has sparked speculation. Carmack mused about the feasibility of a large tech company creating its own bespoke chips rather than competing with established general-purpose companies. Musk's response? "Tesla could do it, but I sure hope we don’t have to." With growing concerns over the reliance on Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese chipmakers, the possibility of bringing some silicon development in-house is no doubt tempting for Tesla, but the practicalities of such an undertaking mean that without a compelling reason to do so, the company will wisely stick with the status quo for now. As PC Gamer reports, “Nobody in their right mind would want to spend billions of dollars on something that has the distinct potential of not working right for years, when you can just contract a highly experienced and cost-effective business to do it for you.” Tesla could do it, but I sure hope we don’t have toMarch 24, 2024 See more More from TechRadar Pro An unpatchable AMD chip flaw is jailbreaking Tesla carsNvidia is powering a mega Tesla supercomputer powered by 10,000 H100 GPUsAdopting generative AI to drive softwarization of automobiles View the full article