Apple recently agreed to acquire a company called PlasmaSolve, according to EU-required filings. Here’s why the new acquisition could make a lot of sense for Apple’s future product roadmap.

Apple is a secretive company that rarely discloses acquisitions unless it has to. But because of its designation as a ‘Gatekeeper’ by the EU, it’s required to share information on many acquisitions that are then publicized on this EU website.

Here’s what the latest entry says:

Apple Inc. (“Apple”), through a subsidiary, will acquire the entire issued share capital of PlasmaSolve s.r.o. (“PlasmaSolve”) and offer employment to and hire certain PlasmaSolve employees. PlasmaSolve develops solutions, including a plasma simulation software, to design and optimize plasma-based manufacturing processes.

PlasmaSolve, per its website, was founded in 2016 by “subject matter experts in plasma-powered technologies and materials science.” They aim to “create reliable and faithful digital twin models for these cutting-edge technologies…by synergizing physics simulation, chemistry simulation, machine learning, data mining, and material characterization.”

Why would Apple want to acquire the company?

In 2023, PlasmaSolve expanded its services to include “the development of highly specialized plasma simulation software called MatSight.”

MatSight helps hardware makers better simulate how plasma-based processes will perform, such as applying ultra-thin coatings to 3D objects like an iPhone. MatSight can help ensure the coating is uniformly applied across various curves, buttons, and more.

Understandably, Apple hasn’t revealed what its plans for the company are. But PlasmaSolve’s technology seems well-suited to helping Apple experiment with even more unique hardware designs, different materials, and form factors.

Last year’s iPhone Air kicked off a wave of unique new designs that are reportedly on Apple’s roadmap. This fall the foldable iPhone Ultra is coming, and we’re expecting a radical new design for next year’s 20th anniversary of the iPhone. There are also rumors of big redesigns for Apple Watch, MacBooks, and more. Major redesigns often bring new materials, shapes, sizes, and other challenges.

From the little we know about the company, PlasmaSolve could be one small part of helping Apple more easily apply plasma-based processes—like ultra-thin coatings—to various new product designs.

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