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Tesla hires former iPhone chip boss to lead Autopilot team

Apple has a history of nabbing Tesla staff, but the pendulum swings both ways.

Tesla has hired an ex-Apple employee that led the development of iPhone chips.

The carmaker announced Jim Keller was joining the company to lead its Autopilot Hardware Engineering team.

Keller previously worked at Apple from 1999 to 2012, developing the A4 and A5 processors used in a host of Apple’s mobile devices between 2010 and 2012.

Prior – and following – Keller’s stint at Apple, he worked on chip development at AMD, and played a key role in the development of the Athlon K7 architecture.

Following the acquisition, Tesla sent this statement to press:

“Jim Keller is joining Tesla as Vice President of Autopilot Hardware Engineering. Jim will bring together the best internal and external hardware technologies to develop the safest, most advanced autopilot systems in the world.”

It’s thought that Keller will lead development on the processors that power Tesla’s Autopilot technology.

Tesla S 7Tesla Model S

Related: iPhone 6C release date

Apple has hired a number of Tesla staff in recent years, amidst rumours that the company is plotting an electric car business.

Tentatively dubbed the Apple Car – a.k.a Project Titan – the unconfirmed vehicle could be a formidable rival to Tesla operations.

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