Apple has bought IC Mask Design, a firm specializing in the layout of chips and processors.

Apple is continuously acquiring companies, and most recently appears to have been buying ones concerned with AI. Now it's also bought a chip design firm, based in Ireland.

According to the European Union's list of acquisitions by firms it classes as gatekeepers, Apple has acquired IC Mask Design. Under the Digital Markets Act, Apple is required to report significant acquisitions, although few details are then made public.

"[Apple] will acquire the entire issued share capital of IC Mask Design Limited ("ICMD") and hire certain of ICMD's employees," says the EU listing. "ICMD provides physical layout design services for analog integrated circuits and related training courses."

IC Mask Design has previously described what it does as when "a lack of specific IC layout skills or resources are available in house to complete projects [it] will work with you to complete projects to the highest standards, on time and on budget."

The company was formed in 2002 and claims to have worked with over 250 "leading edge technology companies in 35 countries across the globe." Those firms include Moortec, Motorola, and Ikon Semiconductor, but IC Mask Design's published list of clients does not include Apple.

While it has sites in Italy and the UK, the firm listed its corporate headquarters as being in Limerick, Ireland. Apple does occasionally advertise jobs in Limerick, but they may be remote working positions as the company has no operations there.

The EU does not publish the size of the acquisition, nor the date when it happened. However, it does state that the information will not be published fewer than four months after the EU is informed.

This means that Apple most likely bought IC Mask Design around June, about the same time it was holding its WWDC 2025 conference. Judging by the Wayback Machine's archive, IC Mask Design's website was removed by June 10, 2025.

The company's Twitter account has also been deleted. It appears to have been active up until late April 2025.

Multiple LinkedIn accounts show staff leaving since an unspecified acquisition. Although, on September 29, co-founder Ciaran Whyte revealed he was joining Apple.

IC Mask Design is the first listed acquisition since Apple bought game developer RAC7 in May 2025.