According to foreign media reports, Apple is preparing to design more chip components by itself. Apple set up a new department, aiming to design components to replace Broadcom, Skyworks components.

The new department is said to be still in the early stages, but the final focus is on radio and radio frequency integrated circuits, wireless SoCs, and semiconductors that connect Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Although Apple has designed A series and M series chips, there are dozens of other chips in electronic devices, such as power management, USB connection, wireless charging and other chips. The iPhone 13 Pro disassembly document shows that Skyworks and Broadcom provide many components for the iPhone. Apple wants to design its own so that it can provide customized solutions for the hardware.

The most obvious example is the modem. Now the modems of Apple mobile phones are from Qualcomm. Apple once switched to Intel modems before, and it ended up in a lawsuit with Qualcomm. Apple does not deny that it wants to develop its own 5G chips and does not want to use Qualcomm’s. In 2019, Apple acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business at a price of approximately US$1 billion. Apple wants to develop its own modem and put it into the iPhone as soon as 2023.

The purpose of Apple’s design of more own chips may not only want to further control the integrated hardware, but may also want to better control the supply of components. The chip shortage put pressure on Broadcom and further affected Apple.