Apple is hiring engineers for a new office in Southern California to develop wireless chips that can eventually replace components provided by Broadcom and Skyworks Solutions.
The company is looking for dozens of people to develop wireless chips in Irvine, where Broadcom, Skyworks and other companies have offices. Recent recruitment information shows that Apple wants employees to have experience in modem chips and other wireless semiconductors.
This is part of a broader strategy to expand the satellite office, allowing the tech giant to target engineering hotbeds and attract employees who may not want to work at the Silicon Valley headquarters. This method also helped Apple further achieve its goal of producing more of its own components. After Bloomberg reported on this effort, the share price of wireless chip makers fell on Thursday. Skyworks fell as much as 11%, its largest intraday drop since March 2020. Broadcom and Qualcomm both fell more than 4%.
Apple intends to recruit talents related to specific technologies, which is usually bad news for existing suppliers. The company is increasingly promoting the importance of its internal chip design to make its products stand out. Intel, the industry’s largest company, has joined a growing list of chip manufacturers who have lost control of Apple’s products.
In 2018, Apple began hiring engineers in San Diego, where Qualcomm is headquartered. Two years later, Apple chip director Johny Srouji told employees that the company is developing its own cellular modem, which will eventually replace Qualcomm’s products. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on Irving’s push. Representatives of Broadcom and Skyworks did not respond to requests for comment.
Irvine’s expansion is still in its early stages, and Apple plans to gradually increase its influence. The company is also formulating a company-wide resumption plan. On Wednesday, Apple cancelled the February 1 deadline for company employees to return to work.
But the increase in staff in Irvine is the latest sign that Apple is introducing more technology internally. Engineers will work on radios, radio frequency integrated circuits, and wireless system-on-chips or SoCs. They will also develop semiconductors for connecting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. These are all components currently provided to Apple by Broadcom, Skyworks and Qualcomm.
This work builds on Apple’s early work on wireless chips. AirPods and Apple Watch already contain custom parts that allow them to be paired with the device, and Apple’s latest iPhone contains a U1 ultra-wideband chip that can more accurately determine their location and connect with AirTag accessories and other products.
Complete News Source : Gadgets360
