Key facts
- Apple is reportedly considering a return to the server market.
- The company discussed using Nvidia's NVLink Fusion networking technology.
- The planned server could utilize the unreleased M8 Ultra processor.
- Nvidia has recently made its NVLink Fusion technology available for licensing.
- The hardware is not expected to be available before 2029.
Apple is reportedly exploring a return to the server market, a sector it largely exited after discontinuing its Xserve line. According to reports citing people familiar with the matter, the company has discussed integrating Nvidia's NVLink Fusion networking technology into a planned AI inference server that would be powered by Apple's own chips.
The potential server product could feature Apple's unreleased M8 Ultra processor, with rumors suggesting configurations of two or four of these chips. NVLink Fusion is a high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity technology that allows for direct integration of chips and AI accelerators into Nvidia's data center infrastructure. While initially limited to Nvidia hardware, the company has recently opened the technology for licensing.
This new hardware is not anticipated to reach the market before 2029. The intended customers for this potentially expensive equipment are expected to be AI developers, other businesses, and governments, with the latter two being the primary targets for Apple's original xServe hardware.