Apple is developing a dedicated processor designed to handle artificial intelligence (AI) tasks, Bloomberg reports.
Dubbed the "Apple Neural Engine", the website says the processor could "improve the way the company's devices handle tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence".
The company's latest smartphone, the iPhone 7, currently runs some of its AI tasks using the image signal processor and the graphics processing unit integrated on its A10 Fusion chip, says Forbes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"By having a more dedicated processor to more efficiently run those algorithms, Apple could speed up the image recognition as well as reduce drain on the iPhone's battery", the site adds.
While the Cupertino-based company has bundled its Siri AI assistant on its smartphones since 2011, Bloomberg says that the firm's "early advantage in voice-recognition" has since been overtaken by the likes of the Amazon Echo and Google Home.
But a dedicated AI processor could be integrated into devices such as driverless cars and "gadgets that run augmented reality (AR)", adds the site, helping the company regain its advantage in consumer AI.
A processor designed solely for AI tasks would not be the first chip dedicated to iPhone functions, says MacRumors, as all Apple smartphones since 2013's iPhone 5S "have included a motion coprocessor used to collect and store sensor data".
The motion coprocessor can continually track movement and other sensor data "without using significant battery" on iPhones and iPads, which the site says can also run functions such as the "Hey Siri" voice command system.
It's not yet known whether the "Neural Engine" will appear on Apple's rumoured iPhone 8 later this year, but AppleInsider suggests that the AI processor could be announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, which runs from 5 to 9 June.
-
Scoundrels, spies and squires in January TVthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Industry,’ ‘Ponies’ and ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’
-
Venezuela: The ‘Donroe doctrine’ takes shapeFeature President Trump wants to impose “American dominance”
-
Giving up the boozeFeature Sobriety is not good for the alcohol industry.
-
Will regulators put a stop to Grok’s deepfake porn images of real people?Today’s Big Question Users command AI chatbot to undress pictures of women and children
-
Most data centers are being built in the wrong climateThe explainer Data centers require substantial water and energy. But certain locations are more strained than others, mainly due to rising temperatures.
-
The dark side of how kids are using AIUnder the Radar Chatbots have become places where children ‘talk about violence, explore romantic or sexual roleplay, and seek advice when no adult is watching’
-
Why 2025 was a pivotal year for AITalking Point The ‘hype’ and ‘hopes’ around artificial intelligence are ‘like nothing the world has seen before’
-
AI griefbots create a computerized afterlifeUnder the Radar Some say the machines help people mourn; others are skeptical
-
The robot revolutionFeature Advances in tech and AI are producing android machine workers. What will that mean for humans?
-
Separating the real from the fake: tips for spotting AI slopThe Week Recommends Advanced AI may have made slop videos harder to spot, but experts say it’s still possible to detect them
-
Inside a Black community’s fight against Elon Musk’s supercomputerUnder the radar Pollution from Colossal looms over a small Southern town, potentially exacerbating health concerns
