Artificial Intelligence is the technology of today. Earlier this year at the Build event, Microsoft announced AI for every developer, followed by several Google announcements at Google IO that AI is already here and it is here to stay. Other companies including SAP, Qualcomm, NIVIDIA, and many others are working on AI related products.
Apple is not far behind (or is it?). Apple was the first one to introduce an AI assistant, Siri in 2011. Today, Cortana, Hello Google, and Alexa are becoming more and more popular each day.
Apple is now trying to pick up its AI hardware race. According to a report published by Bloomberg, Apple is working on a chip to process AI related tasks. The chip will eventually power its devices including iPhone, iPad, and others.
From the news:
Apple is working on a processor devoted specifically to AI-related tasks, according to a person familiar with the matter. The chip, known internally as the Apple Neural Engine, would improve the way the company’s devices handle tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence -- such as facial recognition and speech recognition, said the person, who requested anonymity discussing a product that hasn’t been made public. Apple declined to comment.
The Apple AI chip is designed to make significant improvements to Apple’s hardware over time, and the company plans to eventually integrate the chip into many of its devices, including the iPhone and iPad, according to the person with knowledge of the matter. Apple has tested prototypes of future iPhones with the chip, the person said, adding that it’s unclear if the component will be ready this year.