In the midst of high stakes AI Race, Apple is moving forward with “Project ACDC,” a secret initiative that recently came to light that is developing proprietary AI chips for data centers.
Apple develops under the internal name “Project ACDC”. Apple silicon specially designed for server farms dedicated to AI processing. The company aims to optimize AI applications within its data centers for future versions of its platforms.
Apple has been a leader in designing proprietary chips for its devices, including iPhones, iPads, Apple watchesAnd Mac computers. The shift towards creating server-specific AI chips is a natural extension of her expertise. as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The company has hinted that it will unveil new AI products and improvements at the upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference in June. For example, the next version of Safari can occur User interface improvements, improved content blocking capabilities, and an innovative AI-powered feature called Intelligent Search.
Siri is ready to make one similar upgrade, sources indicate, as Apple plans to improve integration with its Messages app. In upcoming versions of Apple's operating systems, the company's AI will be able to analyze message content to generate summaries.
The actions of rivals like Microsoft and Meta have increased the urgency of developing these AI capabilities. These companies have quickly focused their activities on generative AI, following the public impact of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Microsoft in particular has benefited from its early and close collaboration with OpenAI, recently surpassed Apple as the most valuable company in the world.
There is growing impatience among Apple investors, driven by the perception that the company is lagging behind its competitors in AI innovation. However, the potential impact of Apple's AI improvements on market valuation should not be overlooked.
Apple's move comes as AI technology becomes crucial in business strategies across industries. While companies like Amazon, Google and others are also intensifying their focus on AI, the technology's role in business continues to evolve, touching everything from cloud computing to consumer electronics.
Apple's steps into AI territory
Apple is on the rise his investment in the artificial intelligence sector, and plans to spend more than $5 billion on AI server improvements over the next two years. The company aims to match the technological capabilities of industry leaders such as Microsoft and Meta by acquiring tens of thousands of AI server units.
These improvements are intended to strengthen AI functionalities on devices running iOS 18
TSMC is advancing the development of 3-nanometer processors, with Apple reportedly having secured full production capacity for these chips. It was initially believed that Apple would use this technology for the latest versions of its A-series chips in iPhones and M-series chips in Macs.
However, recent revelations of a leak known as “Phone Chip Expert” on Chinese social media platform Weibo suggest that Apple is actively working on a specialized artificial intelligence processor. According to the sourceMass production of this AI chip is expected to begin in the second half of 2025.
Apple's strategy includes owning and operating its own hardware for better security and design flexibility, setting Apple apart from competitors that rely on cloud-based services.
In addition, next-generation M4 and A18 chips are expected to characterize significantly improved neural motors. These improvements are designed to boost AI capabilities on devices running iOS 18, and may appear during the iPad event on Tuesday.