At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple outlined its vision for integrating artificial intelligence into its apps and ecosystem of hardware and services, defying claims by many that the company is lagging behind in AI.

If you've been paying close attention to Apple's semiconductor strategy, particularly the M1 processor launched in November 2020, you may know that it has made significant strides in CPU and GPU performance, as well as showing off its Neural Engine processor.

At the same time, Apple shared how the neural engine could accelerate a whole host of functions related to the CPU, GPU, and software. However, it seems that Apple\'s choice not to associate its NPU with any AI rhetoric, which was not a widely discussed topic at the time of the M1 launch, left many confused, especially those not familiar with the role of neural processors or as we now refer to them, NPUs.Today, we know that NPUs and more powerful CPUs and GPUs are essential processors used for all AI computational functions. Apple's reflection and investment in a neural engine and Apple silicon in general means that Apple can place AI features that work on devices that people already own. Instead of having Ai, Apple is ahead of most device manufacturers who are just clinging to the integration of NPU hardware and depending on third -party software to provide AI capabilities for devices. When Apple unveiled its AI strategy in June, most industry and financial analysts had no idea what Apple was doing. However, Apple is on the verge of taking the lead in deeply integrating artificial intelligence into its apps and services. When they found out, Apple's stock rose dramatically as Wall Street now understands the depth of AI integration among the company's 1.5 billion users.

ll the major chip manufacturers have been developing NPUs for years, but it wasn't until the advent of generative artificial intelligence that their customers began to demand powerful NPUs as well as new CPUs and GPUs. Apple's strength lies in the deep integration of artificial intelligence into its apps, software and services. Apple has a significant competitive advantage over its competitors because they own hardware, software, and services.