Apple Wants To Accelerate AI Performance With Faster RAM On IPhone

JAKARTA - Apple is working with Samsung to change how to pack RAM on the iPhone with the aim of widening the bandwidth to support Apple Intelligence (AI) tasks.

Unlike most smartphones that unite RAM and processors in one package, Apple plans to separate the two. The goal is to provide more RAM while accelerating memory access needed by the AI application.

According to a report from The Elec, Apple has asked Samsung to research the best way to pack the DRAM memory used on the iPhone. Currently, the RAM located in a package with a processor is fast enough, but there are limits in the amount of RAM that can be installed on the same chip due to the limited number of connectors on the processor side.

To that end, Apple wants to create a larger DRAM package, which can then be reconnected to the processor in the fastest way possible. Using separate packages can also help reduce heat, as the AI process on devices is very intensive and causes the chip to heat up.

Apple is thought to have considered the use of high bandwidth (HB) memory that is often used on servers. However, this option appears to be rejected because of the difficulty of making it small enough to be put into a cellphone and sufficiently power efficient to work with a cell phone battery.

However, the use of separate RAM packages also presents physical challenges, because the size of the iPhone is limited. Apple may have to shrink the size of the System on a Chip (SoC) processor and may even reduce battery capacity in order to load this separate RAM.

Although this research is just starting, Apple is expected to implement this new method on the iPhone 18 lineup scheduled for release in 2026.