Apple is planning to harness generative artificial intelligence to accelerate the design of its custom chips, marking a significant shift in how the tech giant develops the silicon powering its devices.

Johny Srouji

, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies, revealed the company's AI ambitions during a speech in Belgium last month while accepting an industry award."Generative AI techniques have a high potential in getting more design work in less time, and it can be a huge productivity boost," Srouji said, according to a recording reviewed by Reuters. The executive emphasized that Apple consistently adopts cutting-edge tools for chip development, including the latest software from electronic design automation companies.The move reflects Apple's aggressive push into AI-powered semiconductor developmentThe announcement comes as major chip design software companies Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys race to integrate AI capabilities into their platforms. These firms provide critical tools that Apple relies on to manage the complexity of its

custom silicon development

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Srouji also reflected on Apple's bold 2020 transition from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips in Mac computers, describing it as an all-or-nothing gamble with no backup plan. "We went all in, including a monumental software effort," he said.Apple's chip design ambitions extend beyond current products. Recent reports indicate the company is developing new processors for upcoming smart glasses and AI servers, with launches targeted for 2026-2027. The company's M5 chip, built on advanced 3nm architecture, has reportedly entered mass production.This AI-driven approach to chip design represents Apple's latest effort to maintain its competitive edge in custom silicon, a strategy that began with the A4 processor in 2010 and has become central to the company's hardware differentiation strategy.