Apple CEO Tim Cook looks at a new iPhone 14 Pro
(Picture: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)Apple is quietly making moves that suggest a major new product could be on the horizon.
The iPhone maker is set to triple its data centre capacity this year as it looks to add more power to its facilities, according to a report by analysis firm Structure Research.
In practical terms, the energy boost will ensure that the lights stay on, and its servers have enough juice to keep running. But, it could also indicate that Apple has something big and power-hungry up its sleeve.
In total, Apple is expected to add more than 1.4 GW of capacity to reach 2 GW, a 233 per cent increase that eclipses its big tech rivals. So what’s behind the sudden rise?
On the surface, it could just be to store all the iCloud data produced by the two billion Apple devices currently in active use. Still, it would be far more exciting if it heralded the release of a new product or service.
Is Apple planning a ChatGPT rival?
One area where Apple is currently trailing the competition is conversational AI.
The success of ChatGPT, which nabbed 100 million users in two months, has sparked a gold rush to create the next big chatbot. Despite some teething issues, both Google and Microsoft are plugging the tech into their search engines in the hopes of making them smarter.
Though Apple has been conspicuously absent from the hoopla, it already boasts the parts needed to feasibly catch up. Firstly, there’s Siri, the company’s digital assistant which thus far has mainly interacted with users through voice commands on iPhones and HomePod speakers.
Apple also reportedly boasts a search tool that already handles billions of daily queries, including from the iPhone home screen or via the Mac Spotlight search feature. It is also used when you ask Siri for information, indicating that the digital helper could play a part if Apple ever decides to release a fully fledged search engine.
There are several reasons why that would make sense for the company. Chiefly, it would allow it to be a participant in the conversational AI race instead of a bystander. Both Microsoft and Google are investing heavily in chatbots as a way to revolutionise how people interact with their services - why would Apple choose to sit this one out?
In addition, it could also salvage Siri’s reputation. By directly chatting to iPhone and Mac users on Apple Search, the overlooked digital assistant could feast on a trove of user data that should help it to become even brainier.
Thirdly, it would align with Apple’s privacy-oriented image. Google reportedly pays Apple up to $12 billion a year (nearly £10 bn) to be the default search engine on its devices. However, Apple introduced new rules in 2021 that essentially meant that apps had to get your permission to track you across the web. Sticking with Google’s ad-powered search engine flies in the face of Apple’s privacy credentials.
What else could Apple be working on?
Of course, the data-centre capacity increase could be meant for something else entirely.
Apple is almost guaranteed to release a mixed-reality headset this year that blends virtual reality and augmented reality. It has also long been rumoured to be working on an electric vehicle that could support autonomous driving.
But it’s unclear why Apple would spend so much money on real-world capacity to support a niche product (VR) or what could be an experiment that never sees the light of day (the Apple car).
A Siri-powered search engine that fields billions of requests a day, on the other hand, would be a power-consuming beast that could be Apple’s next big service.
