Apple has revealed its use of Amazon Web Services (AWS) custom AI chips for various services like search functionality. The announcement, as per CNBC, came during the annual AWS Reinvent conference on Tuesday, where Benoit Dupin, Apple’s senior director of machine learning and AI, discussed the company’s utilization of AWS cloud services.
Apple has been using AWS for over a decade, supporting services like 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 hint that it could be 50% more efficient.
Apple’s approach to AI differs from that of many competitors. The company focuses on on-device processing using iPhone, iPad, or Mac chips for most tasks.
Complex queries are sent to Apple-operated servers using its M-series chips.
Apple’s use of AWS’s custom chips might show other companies that there are viable options for AI besides Nvidia.