According to a report from The Information, Baltra’s mass production is targeted for 2026.
To prioritize this AI initiative, Apple has reportedly canceled development of what would have been its fastest Mac chip—a high-performance processor composed of four interconnected chips.
The company’s Israeli silicon design team — which led the transition from Intel chips to Apple Silicon in Macs — is spearheading the Baltra project.
Apple has partnered with American semiconductor company Broadcom to integrate advanced networking technologies essential for AI processing. The chip will utilize TSMC’s advanced N3P process, surpassing the technology in current processors like the M4.
The development follows Apple’s November 2024 discussions with Foxconn about building AI servers in Taiwan. These servers, powered by M-series chips, are intended to support Apple Intelligence features across the company’s device ecosystem.
Apple appears to be going all-in to develop in-house AI capabilities amid suggestions that the company lags behind in the AI space. The company’s growing focus on competing in the AI hardware space may even come at the cost of other high-performance computing projects.
