Apple is developing specialized chips that will power future devices including its first smart glasses, artificial intelligence servers and new MacBooks, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The iPhone-maker has made progress on the chip that it’s developing for smart glasses, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
This indicates that Apple is doubling-down to compete with the popular Ray-Ban glasses offered by Meta Platforms. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Other processors in development will serve as the brains of future Macs as well as AI servers that can power the Apple Intelligence platform, according to the report.
In a bid to compete in the lucrative AI market, Apple has made efforts to add on-device AI features to its latest line of iPhones with Apple Intelligence — a suite that helps summarize notifications, rewrite emails and give users access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, among other features.
The company has already made strides in the development of in-house silicon and, in February, revealed its first custom-designed modem chip that connects iPhones to wireless data networks.
The processor for its glasses is based on chips used in the Apple Watch that require less energy than components in products like the iPhone, iPad and Mac, the report stated.
The chip, which could enter mass production by the end of next year or in 2027, has been customized for power efficiency and to control the multiple cameras that are planned for the glasses, Bloomberg reported.
The chip will be manufactured by Taiwan’s TSMC and the glasses — if successful — are likely to come to market in roughly the next two years, the report added.
Apple is also working on several new Mac chips, including processors that will likely be known as the M6 and M7, according to the report.