Apple plans to mass-produce its first AI server chips in 2026

Cupertino is bringing its silicon playbook to the cloud

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In a nutshell: Apple is preparing to shift more of its AI operations in-house, with plans to begin mass production of its first AI server chips in the second half of 2026. The company's silicon division, credited with advancing the performance and efficiency of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is now expanding its design expertise into server-class hardware.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's latest report points to a multistage rollout: Apple's self-developed AI server chips will begin production in late 2026, while the new Apple data centers equipped to run them are expected to begin construction and operation the following year. The timeline suggests Cupertino is preparing for a major increase in on-device AI activity by 2027, supported by its own large-scale cloud infrastructure to handle the heavier computation.

Although Apple recently confirmed a partnership with Google to integrate Gemini models into new Siri features, the company's investment in proprietary AI hardware indicates it is building a dual strategy – leveraging external models while maintaining fuller control over long-term performance and privacy through internal systems.

Apple's hardware record shows a clear trajectory toward deeper silicon integration. After several generations of Apple Silicon chips transforming its consumer devices, the company successfully shipped its own in-house cellular modems, the C1 and C1X, and a wireless connectivity chip dubbed the N1. These projects proved Apple's ability to replace key third-party components with its own designs – an approach now extending to backend AI infrastructure.

Within that broader roadmap, Apple's AI server chip effort has been reported to be a distinct project, rather than a simple extension of the Mac-focused M-series line used today in its data centers. The chip is said to be internally codenamed Baltra and developed with Broadcom, separate from the M-series processors that currently power Apple Intelligence servers and Private Cloud Compute. Those M-series chips handle AI tasks as part of more general-purpose compute platforms, while Baltra is framed as server silicon built first and foremost around AI.

The current production schedule positions Apple to begin small-scale deployment within existing data centers before new facilities come online, creating a bridge between its present M-series-based cloud infrastructure and the next generation of AI-focused servers.

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If Apple's rollout proceeds as described, the company could gain tighter control over AI data processing, reduce dependence on external compute providers, and better align its hardware ecosystem with its privacy and optimization standards.

For a company often criticized for its deliberate pace in AI deployment, this move suggests a long-term architectural bet: that its future AI experiences – from Siri to system-level intelligence – will increasingly rely on silicon designed and tightly integrated in-house, from edge devices to custom chips deep in its data centers.