Apple has revealed its use of Amazon Web Services (AWS) custom AI chips for various services such as search functionality. The announcement, according to CNBCtook place Tuesday at the annual AWS Reinvent conference, where Benoit Dupin, Apple’s senior director of machine learning and AI, discussed the company’s use of AWS cloud services.
Apple has used AWS for over a decade, supporting services such as Siri, Apple Maps and Apple Music. The company reported a 40% efficiency gain using Amazon’s Inferentia and Graviton chips for search services.
Apple is testing Amazon’s Trainium2 chip to retrain its models, and early tests suggest it could be 50% more efficient.
Apple’s approach to AI differs from many competitors. The company focuses on on-device processing using iPhone, iPad, or Mac chips for most tasks.
Complex requests are sent to servers operated by Apple using its M-series chips.
Apple’s use of AWS’s custom chips could show other companies that there are viable options for AI besides Nvidia.