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