With the launch of the new iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus handsets, Apple introduced a new chipset in the form of the A11 Bionic. This chipset represents a first for Apple in the sense that it is the first A-series chipset to sport six cores, but it is also the first A-series chipset to feature a dedicated neural engine (for use with Face ID).In a recent interview with Mashable, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller and SVP of Hardware Technology Johny Srouji revealed that the A11 Bionic was a chipset that was three years in the making. It seems that work was being done on the chipset when the iPhone 6 was shipping out, which was back in 2014, and this was well before was speaking publicly about AI or machine learning. According to Srouji, “The neural engine embed, it’s a bet we made three years ahead.”
In fact it seems that Apple’s work has paid off, as there have been some Geekbench sightings in which it has been suggested that the A11 Bionic chipset performs on par with some of Apple’s MacBook Pros, although to be fair last year’s A10 Fusion was also reported to have performed just as well.
Unsurprisingly when asked if Apple was already looking towards the future as far as their next-gen of silicon solutions are concerned, Srouji was quoted as saying, “We’re thinking ahead, I’ll tell you that, and I don’t think we’ll be limited. It’s getting harder.”