Apple Intelligence servers are currently powered by the M2 Ultra chip, and they are expected to start using M4 series chips next year. In an eventual move away from Mac chips for server use, The Information today reported that Apple is developing a new server chip that will offer even faster performance for AI features.
The report said the new chip contains "many duplicates" of Apple's Neural Engine, so it sounds like it will offer turbocharged performance for AI processing.
At least a trio of companies are believed to be involved with the chip. Apple is said to be handling the overall design of the chip, while Broadcom is said to be providing some networking technology for it. TSMC is expected to begin mass production of the chip in 2026, using its third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P. That is the same process expected to be used for the A19 chips in the iPhone 17 models next year.
The chip will likely power some Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-based generation, such as Image Playground, according to the report:
Apple will likely use the new AI chip it is developing for inference, where the chip processes new data—such as a user describing a possible image—and applies them to the models to generate an output, like producing the image itself.
More on Broadcom's involvement, from the report:
Like Google, Apple is relying on Broadcom for technology to network or link the chips together so they can work in unison to compute data more quickly. That technology has been one of the key drivers of AI development, making it possible to compute the massive amounts of data required to train and run LLMs. Networking technology is one of Broadcom's key strengths.
The paywalled report offers many more details about the chip.
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today with additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, Image Wand, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also a new Visual Intelligence feature on all iPhone 16 models that allows you to quickly identify things in the real world using the Camera Control button on those devices. As part of Apple Intelligence, Siri will gain features like on-screen awareness and deeper per-app controls, likely starting with iOS 18.4. And with iOS 19.4 in 2026, Siri is expected to become more conversational like ChatGPT.
