Johny Srouji, Apple’s prime chip govt revealed lately in a personal occasion that the corporate is exploring using generative AI to assist velocity up the design course of for its customized silicon. Right here’s what he stated, as reported by Reuters.
‘Extra design finished in much less time’
In a current speech at an occasion hosted by the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) in Belgium, the place he acquired an award, Apple SVP of {Hardware} Applied sciences stated the corporate sees “excessive potential” in utilizing AI as a part of its chip design workflow.
In line with Reuters, which had entry to a recording of the speech, Srouji remarked that AI-assisted instruments might provide “an enormous productiveness enhance” by letting Apple get “extra design work finished in much less time.”
Apple already leans closely on industry-standard EDA (Digital Design Automation) instruments from corporations like Cadence and Synopsys to deal with the complexity of its chip growth course of.
Each distributors have been racing to bake generative AI options into their platforms, serving to clients automate and velocity up structure and verification duties that might historically require handbook engineering work.
“EDA corporations are tremendous vital in supporting our chip design complexities,” Srouji stated.
Provided that each Cadence and Synopsys have lengthy collaborated with imec on superior chip analysis, the occasion provided a becoming (and sure, PR-friendly) stage for Srouji to underscore Apple’s personal ambitions within the AI-for-silicon area, and the essential position its companions play in that effort. Nonetheless, that’s excellent news.
Apple Silicon transition had no backup plan
Srouji’s speech additionally provided a uncommon look behind the scenes on how Apple approached its historic transition from Intel-based Macs to Apple Silicon again in 2020. He described it as a “enormous wager” with no fallback possibility:
“There was no backup plan, no split-the-lineup plan,” he stated. “So we went all in, together with a monumental software program effort.”
Ultimately, Srouji’s remarks don’t come as a giant shock, as different corporations have additionally been exploring how generative AI might speed up silicon design.
Nonetheless, as Apple was admittedly caught flat-footed with the public-facing potentialities provided by generative AI, it’s encouraging to see the corporate exploring how current developments within the expertise may also enhance its inner engineering workflows.
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