Apple is reportedly getting ready to enter the server market again. According to sources familiar with this matter, the Cupertino-based company is working on AI servers using its future M8 Ultra chips. The plan would mark a return to enterprise hardware almost 15 years after Apple stopped making Xserve servers. The new systems could be aimed at businesses, AI firms and government users that want to run AI workloads on their own machines.
The reported systems could come in two forms. One may use two M8 Ultra chips, while a larger version could have four. Apple is also said to be looking at NVIDIA's NVLink Fusion technology to connect the chips. A launch around 2029 is under consideration, although the plans are not final. Apple could still change or drop the project.
The reported plan comes as AI companies show more interest in using Mac mini and Mac Studio systems for AI work. Apple already runs servers for Private Cloud Compute, which handles some Apple Intelligence tasks away from the user’s device.
Apple is also working with Google and NVIDIA to expand Private Cloud Compute. A dedicated server range could give the company another way to put its own chips into AI systems used by businesses.
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Selling an iPhone or Mac is very different from selling servers to large companies. Enterprise customers need long-term support, easy system management and strong security. They also need hardware that can work with existing business software.
Apple left the server market when it ended Xserve in 2011. A return would give the company a chance to try again. It would also test whether Apple can turn its strength in consumer chips into a bigger enterprise business.
Apple's reported M8 Ultra server plan shows how quickly AI is changing the company's hardware plans. The bigger question is whether Apple can make its chips work as well for enterprise customers as they do for consumer customers.