The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.
For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more capable, though training and architecture are also factors. Bloomberg says that Google's model "dwarfs" the parameter level of Apple's current models.
The current cloud-based version of Apple Intelligence uses 150 billion parameters, but there are no specific metrics detailing how the other models Apple is developing measure up.
Apple will use Gemini for functions related to summarizing and multi-step task planning and execution, but Apple models will also be used for some Siri features. The AI model that Google is developing for Apple will run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, so Google will not have access to Apple data.
Gemini uses a Mixture-of-Experts architecture, so while it has over a trillion total parameters, only a fraction of them are activated for each query. The architecture allows for a large total compute capacity without racking up significant processing costs.
Apple weighed using its own AI models for the LLM version of Siri, and also tested options from OpenAI and Anthropic, but it decided to go with Gemini after deciding Anthropic's fees were too high. Apple already has a partnership with Google for search results, with Google paying Apple around $20 billion per year to be the default search engine option on Apple devices.
Though Apple is planning to rely on Google AI for now, it plans to continue working on its own models and will transition to an in-house solution when its LLMs are capable enough. Apple is already working on a 1 trillion parameter cloud-based model that could be ready as soon as 2026. Apple is unlikely to publicize its arrangement with Google while it develops in-house models.
Apple was meant to debut an updated version of Siri in iOS 18, but deficiencies required the company to overhaul the underlying Siri architecture and significantly delay the rollout. The smarter Apple Intelligence Siri is expected to be introduced in an iOS 26.4 update that's coming in spring 2026.
Siri will be able to answer more complex queries and complete more complicated tasks in and between apps. It will be closer in function to Claude and ChatGPT, though Apple is not planning a dedicated chatbot app.
Apple is still planning to roll out its revamped version of Siri around March of next year. The release should be accompanied by the release of a new smart home display product with speaker-base and wall-mount options. A new Apple TV and HomePod mini, which are set for launch soon, will also "help showcase" next year's new Siri and Apple Intelligence features.
The new version of Siri will apparently "lean" on Google's Gemini and include an AI-powered web search feature. Gurman warned "there's no guarantee users will embrace it, that it will work seamlessly or that it can undo years of damage to the Siri brand."
Apple is said to be paying Google to create a custom Gemini-based model that can run on its Private Cloud Compute servers to power Siri. Gurman clarified that this doesn't mean Siri will include Google services or Gemini features. Instead, Siri will simply be powered by a Gemini model in the background, enabling it to deliver the features that users expect with an Apple user interface.
Apple will preview iOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and other operating systems at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The updates will apparently focus on major updates to Apple Intelligence and the company's broader AI strategy.
The company is also apparently still running into problems with the launch of Apple Intelligence in China. Despite partnerships with Chinese companies, Apple Intelligence in China is still mired by regulatory issues and the launch is now a "rolling target."
Apple has begun shipping American-made artificial intelligence servers from a newly built factory in Houston, beating its 2026 target.
The servers designed for Apple's Private Cloud Compute system have started shipping from the 250,000-square-foot Houston site months earlier than planned. Apple Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan confirmed the acceleration in a statement provided to Fox Business:
We are thrilled to be shipping American-made advanced servers from our Houston facility. As part of our $600 billion commitment to the United States, these servers will be installed in our data centers and play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence with Private Cloud Compute. Our teams have done an incredible job accelerating work to get the new Houston factory up and running ahead of schedule, and we plan to continue expanding the facility to increase production next year.
Private Cloud Compute is the architecture Apple uses to offload certain Apple Intelligence computations from devices to the cloud, while preserving the on-device privacy model that Apple says is core to its AI system. Apple CEO Tim Cook also posted on X about the news:
Apple’s American-made advanced servers are now shipping from our new Houston facility to Apple data centers!
These servers will help power Private Cloud Compute and Apple Intelligence, as part of our $600 billion US commitment. pic.twitter.com/maOd3lCGfK
Apple is reportedly partnering with local contractors and recruiting from Houston City College to staff the facility. The Houston facility is part of a $600 billion U.S. investment commitment Apple made earlier this year, which includes capital for domestic manufacturing, silicon engineering, R&D, and workforce training initiatives.
Apple's artificial intelligence division has lost another senior executive, with Ke Yang, who was recently appointed to lead the company's AI-driven web search effort, departing for Meta, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Yang had only recently taken over Apple's newly created Answers, Knowledge, and Information group, known internally as "AKI." The team is responsible for developing technology to make Siri more ChatGPT-like, including the ability to retrieve live information from the web. The AKI project is said to be a central component of Apple's planned Siri overhaul, which is currently scheduled for release in March 2026. The update is said to include features that were delayed from earlier this year, such as allowing Siri to access personal data and handle more complex, multi-step requests.
Yang's promotion to head of AKI came just weeks ago following the departure of Robby Walker, another longtime Apple executive who had been leading the group. Yang had previously overseen the search-focused portion of AKI before being elevated to lead the division in full, reporting directly to John Giannandrea, Apple's senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy. With Yang's exit, the AKI team will now report to Benoit Dupin, one of Giannandrea's deputies responsible for Apple's machine learning infrastructure.
The AKI project has reportedly become a major element of Apple's efforts to close the gap with rivals such as OpenAI, Perplexity, and Google Gemini, all of which have made rapid advances in AI-powered search and conversational interfaces. Gurman describes the Answers feature as a new layer of Siri designed to synthesize responses from live internet data, allowing it to deliver up-to-date answers and contextual information.
Yang's departure is the latest in a growing series of exits from Apple's artificial intelligence division, which has reportedly seen more than a dozen senior researchers and engineers leave this year alone. Many of those departures were from the company's Foundation Models team, which is tasked with developing Apple's core generative AI models. That unit was led by Ruoming Pang, who also left for Meta earlier this year to help establish a new research division known as Superintelligence Labs.
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