2024-04-19 00:58:01
Apple intends to improve the performance of the upcoming iPhone 16 smartphones for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) using the A18 chip and advanced Neural Engines. This was reported by the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News, Day.Az reports with reference to Gazeta.ru.
At the beginning of February, Apple CEO Tim Cook already confirmed that the company is working on its own generative AI, which will be discussed in more detail later. Generative AI features are expected to become available with the release of iOS 18, which is expected to be announced at the annual WWDC developer conference in June. Among the applications that can receive AI-based capabilities, insiders name Siri, “Short Commands”, Messages, Apple Music and others.
The debut of Apple’s flagship A18 chips is expected with the premiere of the iPhone 16 in September. Moreover, some generative AI functions may become exclusive to the new line of smartphones due to the improved Neural Engine. This is a neural processor that is responsible for processing AI and ML tasks.
The Neural Engine first appeared in the iPhone 8 and X – it was a 2-core NPU. The iPhone Xs and iPhone 11 generations used a 4-core processor, and starting with the iPhone 12, the Neural Engine with a 16-core NPU is installed. It is not reported how much the number of cores in the iPhone 16 will increase. It is also unknown whether their number will differ in the base model and Pro. Additionally, Apple continues to improve Neural Engine performance over time, even when the number of cores does not change. According to the company, neural computing in the iPhone 15 Pro is up to 2 times faster than in the iPhone 14 Pro.
In addition, it is expected that the new Apple M4 chip for Mac computers and flagship iPad tablets will also receive an updated Neural Engine. The first Macs with the M4 chip are rumored to be released in late 2024 or early 2025.