Apple has recently surprised the technology world by acknowledging that it uses custom artificial intelligence chips from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to optimize its search services. This was confirmed by the Californian company during the AWS re:Invent 2024 event.
Benoit Dupin, director of machine learning and artificial intelligence at Apple, has revealed this unexpected use of the company, and it may mark a before and after in the relations between the technological giants.
Importance of the collaboration between Amazon and Apple
Dupin explained that Apple uses Inferentia and Graviton chips designed by AWS to power key services such as Siri, Apple Maps and Apple Music. According to the manager, these solutions have proven to be “reliable, definitive and capable of serving Apple customers around the world.” This is not new: Apple has been using AWS infrastructure to support its growing ecosystem for more than a decade.
However, what is truly innovative is Apple’s interest in the recently announced Trainium2 chips from Amazon. These units, designed specifically to train advanced AI models, could deliver a 50% improvement in efficiency for pre-training tasks like Apple Intelligence.
The collaboration between Apple and AWS is significant for several reasons:
- Competition in low-cost AI: So far, Nvidia has dominated the GPU market for training AI models. However, Amazon is carving out a niche for itself with cheaper and more efficient alternatives. That Apple supports this technology highlights Amazon’s potential in this field.
- Resource optimization: In a context where the demand for computing power to train artificial intelligence models continues to grow, the energy and cost savings offered by Amazon chips becomes a vital factor.
- Impact on user experience: Apple services, such as Siri or Maps, could benefit from faster, more accurate and personalized models. In the long term, this could translate into a more fluid and intuitive experience for users of iPhone, iPad and other devices.
Apple’s strategy for the future
Although Apple and Amazon are competitors in some markets, such as smart speakers with Siri and Alexa, this collaboration shows that even technology giants can collaborate and benefit when it comes to optimizing their operations.
Additionally, Apple is not only using AWS infrastructure, but is also actively evaluating the capabilities of Trainium2 chips for pre-training its AI models. This interest shows that Apple seeks to diversify its technological options, betting on strategic partners that offer clear advantages in efficiency and scalability.
Apple’s adoption of AWS chips could prompt other companies to explore cheaper and more efficient alternatives compared to Nvidia GPUs, democratizing artificial intelligence. In addition, it reinforces Amazon as a leader in this sector beyond cloud services. This collaboration could redefine how tech giants design and train their AI models, setting new standards for efficiency. For users, this translates into smarter devices and more personalized services, while marking a possible turning point in the relationship between Apple and Amazon in the technological field.
