Former Apple Chip Architect Says AI Cuts Months From Early CPU Design

Former Apple CPU architect Gerard Williams III says AI has cut early chip research and performance modeling at Nuvacore from 7–12 months to 2–3 months.

Speaking with Mark Gurman on the Power On podcast, the Nuvacore CEO said the time saving comes during research, before detailed design and verification. The company is developing CPUs for AI data centers, and its first processor is still in development.

A CPU designed from scratch typically takes two and a half to three years to reach a finished product, he said. The goal is to use AI to bring that closer to two years, with 18 months an ideal outcome if design teams can achieve it.

Verification is another potential use for AI. Models could explore the different states a processor can enter, help determine what needs testing, and check whether the design works.

That work still requires experienced engineers to vet the output and ensure the product is reliable. The CEO said AI "does not replace your design team, but it's an extension of your design team." The early time savings leave his engineers more room to explore other ideas.

The startup is developing a processor core focused on performance and power efficiency. Arm, x86 and RISC-V were discussed as possible instruction-set targets, with the core optimized for a specific instruction set later in development.

Williams joined Apple in 2010 and worked on CPU architecture from the A7 in the iPhone 5s through development of the M1 for Mac. After leaving in 2019, he co-founded Nuvia. Qualcomm announced a $1.4 billion acquisition of that company in 2021, and he became a senior vice president there before leaving at the end of January 2026.