Apple Moves Modem Engineering Group Into Its Chip Design Unit [Report]

Apple has moved its modem engineering group into its in-house chip design unit, according to a Reuters report. The modem group was previously part of the company's supply chain unit, say people familiar with the matter.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, took over the company’s modem design efforts in January, the sources said. The organizational move has not been previously reported.

Srouji joined Apple in 2008 to lead its chip design efforts which include the custom A-series processors that power the iPhone and the W-series chips that help Apple devices pair together. Until now, modem efforts were led by Rubén Caballero, who reports to SVP of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio.


The move is seen as an indicator that Apple is getting serious about efforts to design its own modem chips. Previously, Apple used modems from Qualcomm but the two companies are now embroiled in a massive legal battle over unfair licensing fees and so Apple has turned to Intel to supply modems for its latest devices.

It's estimated that modem chips cost $15-$20 each or $3-4 billion for the 200 million iPhones the company makes each year. Designing its own chip could save Apple money or at least give it more control over its supply chain. It could also see space and battery life savings by combining the modem with its processor chips.

More details in the full report linked below...

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