Joe Rossignol
Nvidia has become one of the most valuable companies in the world thanks to strong demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) server chips from big tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. However, one tech giant that isn’t a big Nvidia customer is Apple, and a new report tries to explain why that might be the case.
Today, The Information’s Wayne Ma outlined Apple’s historically “rocky relationship” with Nvidia, but much of the animosity dates back to the 2000s and early 2010s, when Steve Jobs was still CEO and Mac computers used Nvidia graphics. It’s unclear how much, if any, these past issues matter today, and the report acknowledges that Apple’s current relationship with Nvidia is “not exactly acrimonious.” Two examples of how the companies get along include Apple’s recent collaboration with Nvidia on machine learning research and Nvidia’s demonstration of Apple Vision Pro when it announced the new software framework earlier this year.
Apple has largely rented access to Nvidia’s GPUs via the cloud from companies like Amazon and Microsoft, and is reportedly developing its own AI server chip as a long-term solution, but none of this proves that Apple is still “allergic” to Nvidia, as the report claims. As has been the case for more than a decade, and even more so in recent years, Apple simply wants to develop as many of its own chips and technologies as possible for a variety of reasons, including lower manufacturing costs, better integration between hardware and software, and reduced reliance on outside suppliers. So, it doesn’t seem like Apple is avoiding Nvidia specifically, but rather Apple owning the entire GPU in general.
This trend has been going on for years. In addition to Apple’s long history of developing its own iPhone chips, the company began making its own Mac chips in 2020, moving away from Intel. Apple’s long-rumored 5G modem is expected to start shipping in iPhones next year, as part of a move away from its current supplier Qualcomm. Apple is also reportedly developing its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which would impact Broadcom.
So while Steve Jobs may have once pretended the Nvidia exec wasn’t in the room during a meeting, the report says, there’s likely no need for Apple to directly source GPUs from Nvidia. Apple is apparently not averse to renting access to GPUs from cloud providers until its own chip is ready.
Still, the report makes for interesting reading, and it confirms that Jobs was very good at holding a grudge when he was unhappy with a situation.
Tags: Nvidia, The Information[ 50 comments ]
