[ti:Apple to Drop Intel and Use its own Chips in Mac Computers] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Apple says it will start using the same chip technology [00:05.84]it uses in its mobile devices to power the next generation of Mac computers. [00:15.60]The new technology will replace Intel-based chips, [00:20.80]which have been built into Mac machines for the past 15 years. [00:27.92]Chips help power a computer's processing system. [00:33.12]One of the main materials used to make computer chips [00:38.08]is silicon, a chemical element. [00:42.96]In its announcement this week, the company said its first Mac [00:48.12]to include the new "Apple Silicon" chips would be available by the end of 2020. [00:57.68]The news came during Apple's yearly conference [01:02.16]for computer programmers and mobile app developers. [01:08.32]This year, the conference was held online because of the coronavirus crisis. [01:16.56]Apple chief Tim Cook told people watching the conference [01:21.44]that the decision marked a historic new beginning for the Mac. [01:28.16]"Silicon is at the heart of our hardware," he said. [01:33.96]"Having a world-class silicon design team is a game changer." [01:41.40]The company already uses Apple-designed chips in its iPhone and iPad devices. [01:50.40]The same kind of chips are also used [01:53.80]to power most smartphones in use throughout the world. [02:00.08]Apple says the decision to move away from Intel chips [02:04.68]is designed to make Mac computers faster [02:09.16]and more efficient while requiring less power. [02:15.88]Johny Srouji is Apple's vice president for hardware technology. [02:23.56]He explained the change to the conference. [02:27.60]"The first thing this will do is give the Mac [02:31.72]a whole new level of performance," he said. [02:37.08]Srouji said the company will draw on its experience [02:42.04]designing "the world's most energy efficient chips" [02:46.64]that currently power Apple's mobile devices. [02:51.72]"It all started with the iPhone," Srouji said. [02:56.92]"The iPhone demanded performance and capabilities [03:01.76]that were seen as impossible in a device that small." [03:07.80]The change will also "establish a common architecture [03:12.72]across all Apple products," the company said in a statement. [03:18.24]That means the new Macs will be able to run apps [03:22.72]that currently work only on iPhones or iPads. [03:29.08]Apple promised that developers would be able to [03:33.08]"easily convert their existing apps to run on Apple Silicon." [03:40.52]A company official said the majority of existing apps for the Intel-based machines [03:47.56]should be able to be changed in "just a few days." [03:53.60]Apple said the new system should be in all Macs within two years. [04:00.84]In a statement, Intel said it still planned to keep its relationship [04:06.64]with Apple "across several areas of business." [04:12.16]Experts told the Reuters news agency this could include Intel [04:17.92]continuing to supply Apple with data center chips to power its iCloud service. [04:26.80]The new Apple chips are based on technology developed by Arm Holdings, [04:33.84]a semiconductor and software design company owned by Japan's Softbank Group. [04:42.80]On the same day as Apple's conference, a machine that uses Arm technology [04:49.36]was named the world's fastest supercomputer. [04:54.48]The Fugaku supercomputer was developed [04:58.12]by Japanese research organization RIKEN and Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. [05:05.60]The Fugaku system was at the top on the TOP500 list, [05:12.28]a ranking that comes out two times a year of the world's most powerful computers. [05:20.48]Arm Holdings announced the latest list on Monday. [05:25.48]Before that, the top-ranked supercomputer on the list was a machine [05:31.68]based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States. [05:38.12]That system runs on chips designed by American technology company IBM. [05:46.12]Chips from IBM and Intel were used in all other systems in the top 10, [05:53.44]except for a system using a Chinese-designed chip [05:58.16]from China's National Supercomputing Center in the city of Wuxi. [06:05.04]One use of supercomputers by governments [06:09.24]is to simulate nuclear explosions in weapons tests. [06:15.28]They are also used to model climate systems and in biotechnology research. [06:22.76]The Fugaku supercomputer will be used for such projects in Japan. [06:30.52]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM