Based on announcements by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and previous speculation, P.A. Semi (the processor manufacturer that Apple acquired) has been assigned the task of developing a proprietary ARM processor for the next-gen iPhone.
According to the NY Times, Apple is indeed developing its own processors for use in the next iteration of the iPhone. Wei-hen, P.A. Semi’s former engineer describes his current position at Apple on his LinkedIn profile as (you need to be logged into LinkedIn to view it) “Senior Manager Chip CPU Architect at Apple”. His public profile goes on to say that he is managing the “ARM CPU architecture team for iPhone.”
P.A. Semi, (originally “Palo Alto Semiconductor”) was bought by Apple in April of this year for close to $300 million.
“PA Semi had assembled an all-star cast of chip engineers, including Lien, and Apple confirmed that it bought the company for that talent. In a June interview with The Times’ John Markoff, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs went one step further, saying the PA Semi team would work on designing brand-new processors for future iPhones and iPods,” Ashlee Vance reports for the NY Times.
Apple’s current iPhone uses ARM processors which are very common in the mobile market. Although Apple refuses to confirm it, Samsung processors currently power the iPhone. Buying P.A. Semi gave Apple the ability to develop a processor that meets the exact specifications and requirements needed for the next generation of iPods and iPhone(s). They could “build support for functions such as the touch screen or scroll wheel into silicon and possibly savings on costs by reducing the number of processors needed in each device,” Vance explains.
“They could put software accelerators on there or maybe do something like a graphics engine,” said Fred Weber, the former chief technology officer of Advanced Micro Devices and current chief executive of memory specialist Metaram.
Apple runs P.A. Semi as a subsidiary and declined to comment on related matters.
