While Apple steadily increases chip development capabilities, Intel is likely to lose major customers

byChristian Widell

About 10 years ago Apple has been focusing on "self-chip" development, SoC of "A ○ ○" series adopted by iPhone and iPad is made by Apple. Custom chips for the Mac also appeared in 2016, and it is pointed out that Intel will lose the 5 th largest customer if this trend continues.

How Apple Built a Chip Powerhouse to Threaten Qualcomm and Intel
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-apple-custom-chips/


Originally Steve Jobs had the idea that its own products should incorporate its own technology, and in 2008 the chip design makerP. A. SemiAcquired. Two years later, it was announced in January 2010Apple's first tablet device "iPad", Apple's original SoC ·Apple A4Has first appeared. Previously, SoC designed by Samsung for iPhone / iPad was used.


It was announced the following 2011iPad 2So SoC is dual coreA5Evolution into. In 2013, for storing settlement data and biometric authentication dataSecure elementAnd the first 64-bit SoC equipped with a motion processorA7Appeared. And the iPhone 10th anniversary model released in 2017 ·iPhone XSo, with its own GPU and neural engineA11 BionicHas appeared.

"A11 Bionic" of iPhone 8 / X has performance superior to MacBook Pro's Intel Core i 5 - GIGAZINE


According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, there are Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, IBM, Phillips etc in companies that made chip division in the past, but Apple said it was the most successful case. Moreover, Apple is "absorbing" engineers of Qualcomm, one of its rivals, aiming for even higher height without being reluctant to this position.

However, Qualcomm is not the only one that will suffer damage from this Apple movement. In 2016, Apple has a new ARM-based proprietary chip "T1" for MacBook Pro. In 2017 we installed "T2" in iMac Pro. In other words, Intel who has been responsible for CPU for Mac is losing its role.

Given that Apple's policy is robust since Jobs, it may not be long before Intel's fifth biggest customer, Apple, disappears.