Apple Hires ARM's Lead CPU Architect Amid Rumors of ARM-Based Macs as Early as 2020Multiple reports have indicated that Apple plans to
transition to its own ARM-based processors in Macs starting as early as 2020, and the company recently made a significant hire that lends credence to that objective.
<img src="
" alt="" width="800" height="334" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-699584" />
ARM's lead CPU and system architect Mike Filippo
joined Apple last month, based out of the Austin, Texas area, according to his
LinkedIn profile. Filippo led the development of several chips at ARM between 2009 and 2019, including the Cortex-A76, Cortex-A72, Cortex-A57, and upcoming 7nm+ and 5nm chips.
Filippo also served as Intel's lead CPU and system architect between 2004 and 2009, and he was a chip designer at AMD between 1996 and 2004, so he brings a wealth of chipmaking experience with him to Apple.
<img src="
" alt="" width="800" height="854" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-699578" />
Filippo's profile still lists his ARM role as ongoing, but
social media talk suggests that he has left the company.
Apple designing its own ARM-based processors for Macs would allow it to move away from Intel processors, which have frequently faced delays. In fact, sources within Intel reportedly confirmed to
Axios that
Apple does plan to transition to ARM-based processors in Macs starting next year.
Apple already designs its own A-series chips for the iPhone and the
iPad, and it also designs the custom T2 security chip in recent Mac models, as part of its broader efforts to move to in-house components and chip designs. Apple has long been known for closely integrating its hardware and software.
Last year,
Bloomberg reported that the transition to ARM-based processors is
part of a multi-step process that will eventually allow developers to create one app with a single binary that runs across iPhone, <!---->iPad<!---->, and Mac. Apple has already laid the groundwork for this with
Project Catalyst.
<strong>Update:</strong> ARM has confirmed Filippo's departure in a statement provided to
Bloomberg: "Mike was a long-time valuable member of the ARM community. We appreciate all of his efforts and wish him well in his next endeavor."
Bloomberg suggests that Filippo's experience could assist Apple with its ARM-based Mac processors. The report also suggests that Filippo could help
fill the void left by the departure of Gerard Williams III, the lead designer of Apple's custom iPhone and <!---->iPad<!----> chips from the A7 to A12X, earlier this year.
<div class="linkback">Related Roundup:
MacBook Pro</div><div class="linkback">Tags:
Intel,
ARM</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide:
MacBook Pro (Buy Now)</div>
This article, "
Apple Hires ARM's Lead CPU Architect Amid Rumors of ARM-Based Macs as Early as 2020" first appeared on
MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
<div class="feedflare">
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=6W8y8wAjSf4" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img>[/url]
</div><img src="
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MacRumors-Front/~4/DZvEDMuxQ5k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
Source:
Apple Hires ARM's Lead CPU Architect Amid Rumors of ARM-Based Macs as Early as 2020
