Since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple has used AI smart tools to help with iPhone image processing through a nerve engine that has become part of the A-Series chip. But future iPhones may see some AI processing performed directly by the camera sensor itself.
Sony, which provides advanced image sensors currently used on the iPhone, is working to integrate AI intelligence directly into sensors, Edge Reports reported. It has announced the first of these, although it is a model for business rather than consumer applications.
Sony has announced the world’s first integrated AI intelligent image sensor. The new IMX500 sensor combines processing power and memory to perform machine learning-driven computer vision tasks without the need for additional hardware. Sony says the result will be faster, cheaper and safer AI cameras.
Many applications rely on sending images and videos to the cloud for analysis. This can be a slow and insecure process to expose data to hackers. In other cases, manufacturers must install special processing cores on their devices to meet additional computing needs, such as new high-end phones such as Apple, Google and Huawei.
But Sony says its new image sensors offer a simpler solution than both methods. The IMX500 is used for retail and industrial purposes, such as facial recognition to support no-payment stores, but the company is clearly considering using it for smartphone applications.
It is unclear whether Apple will use these types of sensors. The company has put a lot of effort into its own image processing algorithms, but the future iPhone could integrate sensors that can do some AI work and hand them over to the A-Series chips for further processing, potentially improving performance and efficiency.
