Apple Is Close to $1 Billion Deal with Google AI for Siri

Apple is close to making a deal worth around $1 billion annually to licence Google’s Gemini AI model to power its Siri voice assistant. The news, reported by worldwide media, comes after months of speculation.

The agreement would give Apple access to Google’s 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini system to run key Siri capabilities such as summarisation and task planning. The custom Gemini model would mark a significant upgrade from Apple’s current 150-billion-parameter system.

Apple plans to host the Gemini model on its Private Cloud Compute servers, keeping user data isolated from Google’s systems. The company has already set aside dedicated AI server hardware to support the new model. The iPhone-maker tested several AI systems before opting for Google’s Gemini as an interim solution while it develops its own 1 trillion parameter cloud-based model. The in-house system could be ready for consumers next year.

Unlike earlier talks to plug Gemini into Siri as a chatbot, the current deal does not extend to integrating Google’s AI search or chatbot directly into Siri. The move is part of a broader effort to overhaul Siri’s foundations and integrate it with the company’s wider AI-powered Apple Intelligence platform. Apple and Google reportedly declined to comment.