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Apple Explores Using AI to Accelerate Chip Design, Says Executive

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Apple is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the design of its custom chips, a senior hardware technology executive revealed during a recent speech.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, spoke last month in Belgium while receiving an award from Imec, a semiconductor research and development group that collaborates with leading chipmakers worldwide.

In his speech, Srouji traced Apple’s journey in chip design from the introduction of the first A4 chip in the iPhone back in 2010 to the latest processors powering Mac desktop computers and the Vision Pro headset. He emphasized that using the most advanced design tools is essential to meet the growing complexity of Apple’s chips.

He highlighted the importance of electronic design automation (EDA) software, developed by companies like Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, which are increasingly integrating AI technologies into their platforms. According to Srouji, generative AI has strong potential to boost productivity by enabling more chip design work in less time.

Srouji also reflected on Apple’s bold strategic decisions, especially the 2020 transition of its Mac computers from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips. The move involved no fallback plans or partial rollouts, reflecting Apple’s commitment to fully owning the chip design and software integration process.

“Moving the Mac to Apple Silicon was a huge bet for us. There was no backup plan, no split-the lineup plan, so we went all in, including a monumental software effort,” Srouji said.

AMD Collaborates with AI Startups to Enhance Chip and Software Development

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Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is strengthening its ties with a range of artificial intelligence startups to improve both its chip hardware and software ecosystems, aiming to better compete against dominant players like Nvidia.

In its pursuit to build a competitive line of AI chips, AMD has acquired companies such as server maker ZT Systems and several small software firms to boost its talent pool and software capabilities. The company is focused on enhancing ROCm, its AI software platform, to better support the complex needs of AI developers.

Vamsi Boppana, AMD’s senior vice president of AI, described the effort as a “thoughtful, deliberate, multi-generational journey” aimed at creating hardware and software that meet evolving AI demands.

One of AMD’s key customers benefiting from these software improvements is AI enterprise startup Cohere, which focuses on building AI models tailored for large businesses. Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez said AMD’s enhancements have drastically shortened the time it takes to adapt their software to AMD chips—from weeks down to days—improving agility in deployment.

On the hardware front, OpenAI has played a notable role in shaping AMD’s upcoming MI450 series AI chips. Forrest Norrod, AMD’s executive vice president, revealed that feedback from OpenAI influenced the design of the MI450’s memory architecture and chip scalability to accommodate thousands of chips working together for AI applications. OpenAI also guided AMD on optimizing the chips for specific mathematical operations vital for AI workloads.

The MI400 series will underpin AMD’s new “Helios” server expected next year, designed to rival Nvidia’s integrated AI servers that link hundreds or thousands of GPUs.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared alongside AMD at their recent San Jose event, highlighting the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations.

Synopsys Resumes Limited Services in China Amid U.S. Export Restrictions, Core Tool Sales Still Blocked

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Synopsys has partially resumed some services in China after suspending operations earlier this month in response to new U.S. export curbs, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The California-based semiconductor design software provider had halted sales and access to its SolvNet customer support portal to comply with broad U.S. restrictions aimed at limiting technology exports to China.

The source revealed that while Synopsys has restarted sales of non-core hardware and intellectual property (IP) to serve some existing Chinese clients, sales of critical Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools remain suspended. These essential EDA tools are necessary to fully utilize the company’s IP and hardware products, such as the HAPS and ZeBu hardware-assisted verification systems, which are primarily used for accelerating chip verification.

SolvNet has reopened with limited access, restricting some software-related documents, further impacting Chinese customers’ ability to use Synopsys’ full range of services.

Synopsys, along with Cadence and Siemens EDA, dominates the global EDA market with over 70% market share in China, according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua. The ongoing restrictions on EDA tool sales pose a significant challenge to Chinese semiconductor design companies, potentially hindering the country’s chipmaking industry.

Following the U.S. export controls, Synopsys suspended its annual and quarterly revenue forecasts, reflecting uncertainty about future sales prospects in China.

The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.