By Gary Elinoff, contributing writer
Long-term Apple power management chip supplier Dialog Semiconductor concedes that the iconic technological giant that it serves will soon be capable of producing its own power management chips .
Nothing is more central to modern mobile devices than power. While there are great improvements to be expected in the capabilities of the lithium-ion batteries (LiB ) that supply that power in the mid-term future, at present, the improvements are coming only glacially. Yet each year, designers have been wowing us all by doing more and more with the power that is available.
According to reports, Apple will soon be capable of producing its own power management chips for its devices, such as its iPhone. Image source: Pixabay.
It’s safe to say that the major challenge facing electrical engineers today is not only designing chips incorporating more function, but chips that can perform those functions while sipping only microamps and nanoamps rather than drinking milliamps. Small wonder that Apple seeks to internalize this strategic function and give it the kind of attention that it deserves.
Taking it in-house
Apple’s overall strategy of late has been to design more and more of the semiconductors that it uses in-house. It already designs its own core processors and other advanced chips. According to sources cited in the Nikkei Asian Review , there are a number of factors that went into Apple’s decision to go further along this pathway.
By producing its own semiconductors, Apple will have better control and more ability to integrate hardware and software into its products. Additionally, the move will give a boost to Apple in its efforts to expand into fields such as artificial intelligence. Also, using its own custom-designed chips will enable the company to produce products that are more unique and less like those of its rivals. And shortening its supply chains and cutting of links can only help the overall bottom line.
The same sources in the Nikkei article state that Apple’s new power management chip will be “the most advanced in the industry.” The inevitable result is that if Apple can manage its devices’ power better than its competitors can manage theirs, the company will be able to deliver a superior product.
Don’t depend on Apple — the tech mantra of the month
As reported in Bloomberg , Dialog Semiconductor is not the only long-term Apple partner now feeling the pinch. Imagination Technologies Group notified investors that Apple plans on moving away from that company’s graphic processor chip designs during the next two years, and Imagination derives a full 50% of its revenues from Apple.
Sigmatel, Wolfson, and CSR have also suffered broken romances with Apple in the past. And this isn’t even Dialog’s first trip down this lonely road. In previous years, it suffered a similar breakup with Ericsson AB. Life just isn’t easy if you’re a component maker.
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