Apple’s new Mac chip roadmap signals a shift toward an AI-first future, with the company also readying new Apple Pencil styluses and expanding iPhone tap-to-pay in retail stores. Apple canceled its self-driving car project in 2024, ending a decade-long effort involving thousands of employees, hundreds of patents, specialized facilities, and more than $10 billion in spending. Although no vehicle reached the market, the endeavor laid the technological foundation for Apple’s modern AI hardware strategy. Early in the car program, Apple required Level 5 autonomous capabilities, necessitating large-scale AI initiatives in machine learning and custom silicon chips. That work gave rise to the Neural Engine, which launched in the iPhone X in 2017, powering Face ID and Animoji. Since the arrival of Apple’s in-house Mac processors in 2020, every new computer has included a Neural Engine, turning the Mac into a strong platform for running AI locally. The work also influenced Ultra-class Mac chips and custom processors for Apple Intelligence servers. Apple has spent over a decade building the hardware foundation for AI, though software upgrades to Apple Intelligence and Siri have taken longer than anticipated. Since launching the M1 chip in 2020, Apple has improved the Neural Engine, with significant gains in the M4.