Oliver Haslam·

Apple Looking To Manufacture Mac Processors, iPhone Modems, More In-House

Apple already makes some of its own chips in an attempt to fully control the design and manufacturing process and as we all know, Apple likes to be in full control of everything.

In an effort to “better compete” in the artificial intelligence field and reduce reliance on manufacturing partners such as Intel and Qualcomm, the company is said to be working to bring more chips in-house, according to a new report.

The report, by Nikkei, claims that Apple has plans to begin building “core processors for notebooks, modem chips for iPhones, and a chip that integrates touch, fingerprint and display driver functions.” Apple’s dependence on Intel for notebook CPUs is something that has been the topic of discussion for some time now, and if Apple can bring its own chips to the platform, we could perhaps see a more streamlined release schedule or at least one which is a little more predictable than the one we endure now.

Analysts have already discussed the wisdom in moving away from the likes of Intel and Qualcomm, and there is little doubting there are benefits to such a move.

“By designing its own chips, Apple can better differentiate itself from others. Further, depending too much on other chip suppliers in the age of artificial intelligence will deter its development,” said Mark Li, a Hong Kong-based analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein.

“We believe that more system houses will design their own chips. The purposes are to develop and protect their proprietary technology information, to make more efficient chips for their unique need, to lower [costs] and to do inventory control better and keep all logistic operation confidentially,” Samuel Wang, a U.S.-based analyst at research company Gartner, said..

Apple already designs, and then builds the chips that go into the iPhone and iPad and with the A11 Bionic CPU that beats at the heart of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, Apple has been able to produce a processor that bests those built into some of its notebook computers. That alone is amazing to consider and again adds credence to the suggestion that a move to its own CPUs inside its computers would make plenty of sense indeed.

(Source: Nikkei)

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