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Report: Apple Asks Google to Run Siri on Its Servers

Apple has asked Google to investigate setting up servers in its data centers to run a future version of Siri powered by Gemini, The Information reports.


Currently, Apple sends its more complex AI queries to Private Cloud Compute, a system that runs on Apple servers using Apple silicon chips. Today, only 10% of Apple's Private Cloud Compute capacity is said to be in use on average. The usage is low enough that some servers intended for Apple's AI cloud system are still in warehouses and have not yet been installed. This could change rapidly upon the launch of the next-generation version of ‌Siri‌, which could spike Apple's demands for cloud computing.

Apple has reportedly suffered from a cultural reluctance to bolster its cloud infrastructure for years, leading to the departure of some key cloud experts from the company, such as Patrick Gates. Gates pioneered the idea of bringing Apple chips to data centers, which later formed the basis of Private Cloud Compute. The company still strongly focuses on hardware devices and consumer features rather than their supporting cloud technologies, despite the growth of services, resulting in a neglect of the need for additional capacity.

At the time Apple realized it needed to use the cloud to support its AI efforts, its internal AI infrastructure was "beginning to decay." The company was amid the process of decommissioning old Nvidia-powered servers. Combined with financial pressure, this led the company to increasingly turn to third-party providers like Amazon.

For years, Apple banned its AI engineers from Google's cloud technologies because of privacy concerns. Apple software chief Craig Federighi repeatedly vetoed Google Cloud as an option for its AI computing requirements. In 2023, Google made changes to its security systems that satisfied Apple's privacy concerns. Apple then started to adopt Google's cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

The issue has been exacerbated by problems with Private Cloud Compute, which takes longer to update than other servers. Moreover, the chips currently used in Private Cloud Compute servers were designed for consumer devices and are not optimized for AI workflows, meaning that they are not well equipped to run large models like Gemini.

Apple now wants to be prepared for a potential surge in AI use on its devices when the more powerful, Gemini-based version of ‌Siri‌ debuts later this year, motivating the request for Google to run ‌Siri‌ directly on its servers. See The Information's full report for more.

This article, "Report: Apple Asks Google to Run Siri on Its Servers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Announces iPhone 17e With A19 Chip, MagSafe, and More

Apple today announced the iPhone 17e, featuring the A19 chip, MagSafe connectivity, faster charging, and more.



The ‌iPhone 17e‌ contains the A19 chip introduced in iPhone 17. It features a 6-core GPU and a 4-core GPU. Apple pointed out that this makes it up to 2x faster than the iPhone 11. The new 16-core Neural Engine is optimized for large generative models. The ‌iPhone 17e‌ also contains Apple's latest-generation C1X modem from the iPhone Air, delivering up to 2x faster cellular performance than the ‌iPhone‌ 16e.

The front of the device now features Ceramic Shield 2, offering 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation along with added anti-reflective properties for reduced glare.
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Addressing a noticeable omission from its predecessor, the ‌iPhone 17e‌ now features ‌MagSafe‌ connectivity, allowing it to work with snap-on magnetic accessories.

With ‌MagSafe‌, the ‌iPhone 17e‌ supports wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher. The ‌iPhone‌ 16e only supported 7.5W wireless charging. The ‌iPhone 17e‌ also supports faster wired charging, achieving up to 50% in around 30 minutes. Battery life remains at 26 hours.

The rear camera now features an improved Portrait mode image pipeline that automatically detects objects, with support for next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control.

The ‌iPhone 17e‌ starts with 256GB of storage, but with the same $599 price as the 128GB ‌iPhone‌ 16e. It is available in black, white, and soft pink. Pre-orders start on Wednesday, March 4, with availability starting a week later on Wednesday, March 11.
Related Roundup: iPhone 17e

This article, "Apple Announces iPhone 17e With A19 Chip, MagSafe, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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