This is how Apple Intelligence support on M1 Mac models was made possible
Apple engineers made a key decision in 2017 that will allow the company to offer Apple Intelligence even on devices launched in 2020, an executive said. In a podcast, senior executives at the company highlighted that the engineers responsible for designing the M1 chipset decided to add neural networks to make them suitable for artificial intelligence (AI). This is notable since the M1 chipset was first launched in 2020, two years before the generative AI trend picked up steam.
Apple CEO reveals key decision that led to M1 chipsets being AI-ready
The Circuit podcast, in its latest version episodeinvited Apple’s Vice President of Platform Architecture Tim Millet and Tom Boger, Senior Director, Mac & iPad Product Marketing at Apple, for a conversation. The duo discussed the company’s approach to AI, hardware integration, the importance of architecture and more.
Interestingly, executives revealed that Apple engineers became aware of neural networks in 2017, shortly after the first article about them was published. The same technology led to the development of transformer networks that are considered the basis for generative AI.
The executives emphasized that engineers began redesigning the company’s neural engine for the next generation of Apple silicon: the M1 chip. By the time the chipset debuted in 2020 with the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the Mac Mini, the company was able to run neural networks on the processor. However, at the time the company had not yet made much use of neural networks and generative AI technology was still two years away.
As a takeaway, executives with M1 said, “we had the foresight to be able to see, and we are paying attention to the trends and introducing them, knowing that it takes time to get silicon in there.”
Notably, Apple announced earlier this year at its ‘It’s Glowtime’ event that Apple Intelligence will be compatible with the M1 chipsets, bringing new features to hardware that is four years old. The tech giant’s AI offering is now expected to be rolled out to users globally in December. However, users in the European Union (EU) and China won’t get it at launch due to regulatory hurdles.
