Apple is working on chips that will enable data centers to use artificial intelligence software

The Wall Street Journal revealed on Tuesday that Apple has been working on chips that will enable artificial intelligence programs to run in data centers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people with knowledge of the situation, Project ACDC (Apple Chips in Data Center), which has been in the works for several years, lacks a defined timeline.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and the iPhone manufacturer have been collaborating on chip design and production, but it’s unclear if these efforts have produced any useful outcomes, according to the report.

The method used by skilled machine learning models to derive conclusions from fresh data is known as inference in artificial intelligence. In an attempt to break free from chip designers, other major tech companies, including Google, have invested in the creation of their own AI inference server chips.

Analysts have noted that Apple lagged behind competitors like Microsoft in the AI race, despite the latter company having made billion-dollar investments in AI infrastructure and technology.

In February, CEO Tim Cook stated that the business was “investing significantly” in AI and that an announcement in this area would be made later in the year. Analysts anticipate that the company will reveal the news during its June Worldwide Developers Conference.

Cook informed investors during Apple’s most recent quarterly earnings call on Thursday that the business will keep making investments in AI. He declared, “We believe in the transformative power and promise of AI, and we believe we have advantages that will differentiate us in this new era.”

Despite a 4% decline in total revenue due to declining iPhone sales, Apple’s fiscal second-quarter earnings exceeded analysts’ expectations. The company’s share price increased on Thursday after announcing the largest-ever share buyback of $110 billion in company history.

According to WSJ, Apple’s server chip will probably be more concerned with AI inference than with training AI models, which is an area that experts predict will remain dominated by Nvidia, the massive American chip company.