Apple is set to introduce a major change to the iPhone’s hardware design by moving towards a new RAM integration system to improve its AI capabilities on the device. The idea is obviously not to use an Internet connection for most Apple Intelligence tasks.
A sharp increase in bandwidth
Samsung, a major supplier of memory components, has launched research initiatives in response to Apple’s request, as reported The Elec. This overhaul will make it possible to move from the package-on-package (PoP) technique, where the memory (LPDDR DRAM) is stacked on the system on chip (SoC), to independent packaging of these components from 2026. This change should Significantly improve memory bandwidth, thereby improving AI features on iPhones.
Since its adoption in the iPhone 4 in 2010, the PoP approach has benefited its compactness, crucial for the space-constrained design of smartphones. However, this method limits the potential for AI improvement due to constraints on memory speed and bandwidth.
By separating the DRAM from the SoC, Apple can increase the number of I/O pins, enabling faster data transfer rates and more efficient data management via additional parallel channels. This separation also contributes to better heat management, which was heavily criticized on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Historically, Apple used separate memory (known as “discrete” in the industry) in the Mac and iPad lines before moving to unified memory (MOP) with the M1 chip, which offered reduced latency and increased power efficiency. Implementing separate memory in iPhones could require adjustments such as reducing the size of the SoC or battery to accommodate the new memory configuration, potentially at the cost of more power consumption. high and a certain latency. The iPhone would therefore go the opposite way to the Mac and the iPad.
Additionally, Samsung is exploring the next frontier in memory technology for Apple with LPDDR6, aiming for significantly higher data transfer speeds and bandwidth than existing LPDDR5X. Better still, LPDDR6-PIM is in development, an evolution that integrates computing functions into the memory itself, with Samsung and SK Hynix working together to establish standards for this technology.
These advances should be present in the iPhone models planned for 2026, nicknamed “iPhone 18” and equipped with the A20 chip, if Apple manages to overcome the technical challenges linked to reducing the size of other components.
