Apple is taking a closer look at generative AI as a way to supercharge the way it builds its custom chips, according to a new report from Reuters. The tech giant, known for keeping much of its hardware strategy under wraps, is now openly embracing the potential of AI to reshape one of the most intricate aspects of its product development: chip design. At a recent event, Johny Srouji, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, shed some light on this evolving approach. He reaffirmed the company’s drive to tap into cutting-edge tools to stay ahead in the semiconductor game. One area getting particular attention is electronic design automation, or EDA, software that helps engineers manage the dizzying complexity of modern chip architecture.
"EDA companies are super critical in supporting our chip design complexities," Srouji said. “Generative AI techniques have a high potential in getting more design work in less time, and it can be a huge productivity boost.”
Reflecting on Apple’s move from Intel chips to its own Apple Silicon, Srouji didn’t mince words, it was a gutsy call. “There was no backup plan, no split-the-lineup plan, so we went all in, including a monumental software effort,” he said. That gamble, as the world saw, paid off handsomely.
But Apple’s not alone in this AI-powered journey. Across the broader chip industry, major players like Synopsys are weaving generative AI into their design pipelines. The aim? To uncover fresh, even unconventional pathways for crafting the brains behind our devices. Apple Insider recently highlighted these developments, noting how the traditional methods of processor design are being upended by smarter, faster AI tools.
Elsewhere, the momentum continues. In China, researchers are reportedly using large language models, yes, the same kind of AI behind chatbots, to build CPU architectures from scratch. If true, it's a striking sign of how generative AI could eventually transform the very foundations of how chips are imagined and built, not just optimized.
