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Apple Developing Custom Chips for Smart Glasses, AI Servers, and Next-Gen Macs

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Apple is advancing its hardware ambitions with the development of specialized chips designed to power future products, including its first smart glasses, AI servers, and next-generation MacBooks, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The tech giant’s reported progress on a low-power chip for smart glasses signals its intent to directly compete with Meta’s popular Ray-Ban smart glasses, a category that’s becoming increasingly central in the race toward consumer wearables integrated with AI.

The glasses-specific chip is said to be based on Apple Watch silicon, emphasizing power efficiency and compact form factors. It has been tailored to support multiple cameras — a key feature for augmented reality (AR) and immersive use cases — and could enter mass production as early as late 2026 or 2027, with TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) slated as the manufacturing partner.

Beyond Smart Glasses:
Apple is also reportedly working on AI-optimized server chips to support the Apple Intelligence platform — the company’s suite of on-device AI features introduced for iPhones. These capabilities include notification summaries, email rewriting, and integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The server chips would provide the infrastructure needed to process more complex AI workloads, marking a notable shift for Apple as it begins to build its own AI compute backbone, rather than relying entirely on third-party providers.

MacBook Chip Roadmap Expands:
In addition, Apple is said to be developing new Mac chips, expected to be named the M6 and M7, extending its in-house silicon strategy. Apple’s custom chips have already proven transformative in differentiating its Mac lineup, offering significant performance gains over Intel-based predecessors.

Earlier this year, Apple also unveiled its first custom modem chip for iPhones, reinforcing its long-term commitment to vertical integration — from semiconductors to software.

While Apple has not publicly commented on the report, its steady push into AR, AI, and custom hardware signals the company is not merely following trends — but aiming to shape them.

AMD’s AI Strategy Faces Investor Scrutiny Amid Shift to Custom Chips

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Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) faces heightened investor scrutiny over its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy as Big Tech firms increasingly develop custom silicon, potentially limiting AMD’s role in AI infrastructure. The company is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday, with analysts forecasting a 22% revenue surge to $7.53 billion. However, competition from Nvidia and the growing adoption of proprietary chips by Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have raised concerns about AMD’s long-term AI growth prospects.

Tech giants are ramping up investments in in-house AI chip development, benefiting companies like Broadcom and Marvell Technology, which provide hyperscalers with custom AI processors. Broadcom expects AI to represent a $90 billion revenue opportunity by 2027, a factor that helped its stock more than double last year. Marvell saw an 83% rise, while AMD’s stock fell 18% in 2024.

Despite this shift, AMD’s AI processor sales are expected to reach up to $10 billion in 2024, double its initial forecast of $5 billion. Its data center chip segment, projected to grow 82% to $4.15 billion in Q4, is expected to drive over half of total revenue. Meanwhile, its personal computer division is forecasted to rise 33% to $1.94 billion, as AMD continues to gain market share from Intel.

Supply chain constraints remain a challenge, with TSMC working to expand production capacity for AI chip packaging. However, Nvidia’s ramp-up of its latest “Blackwell” AI chips could limit AMD’s ability to secure additional manufacturing resources.

Despite these hurdles, AMD’s fourth-quarter net income is set to rise by more than 61% to $1.08 billion, reflecting strong demand for its products.