Apple released the first version of Apple Intelligence and detailed in a technical paper that two AI models under it are powered using Google's custom chips.
Apple Intelligence is available in the developer beta of iOS 18.1 for registered developers.
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Apple Partners With Google for Custom-Made Chips for AI
The tech giant announced that models underpinning Apple Intelligence utilized chips from Google. The company chose the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to train two models.
NVIDIA remains a powerful force in the chip industry with OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic relying on its GPUs for AI models. However, other big tech companies like Meta, Oracle, and Tesla are seeking alternative ways.
"This system allows us to train the AFM models efficiently and scalably, including AFM-on-device, AFM-server, and larger models," Apple wrote in the published technical paper. The tech giant rented servers from a cloud provider during its training.
Apple Intelligence Officially Debuts on iOS 18.1
Apple first introduced Apple Intelligence last June during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The company's first take on AI is focused on improving Siri and providing other basic AI-powered tools.
The new software, now available in iOS 18.1, iPad, and Mac, is only offered to registered Apple Developers. The $99 annual fee for the program allows developers to gain early access to beta versions of software.
Apple Intelligence will be released to the public later this year. However, it may not debut alongside the new iPhone lineup in the fall.
The registered developers will have access to an improved Siri which shows a glowing edge when enabled, enhanced communication and commands with the digital assistant, and troubleshooting capabilities.
Apple is expecting to roll out other features like image generation, emoji generation, automated cleaning up of photos, OpenAI ChatGPT integration, and other Siri improvements by 2025.
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