Post by : Badri Ariffin

Apple is preparing to pay roughly $1 billion annually for access to Google’s 1.2 trillion-parameter Gemini model — a move that would rank among the largest technology licensing arrangements in recent memory.

People familiar with the discussions say Apple and Google are close to finalising terms that would allow Apple to use Gemini as the engine for a significant overhaul of Siri. The redesigned assistant is expected to begin appearing next spring with more contextual understanding and advanced responses.

The arrangement represents a pragmatic shift for Apple, which has long prioritised internal development. After experimenting with several external models — including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude — Apple chose Gemini as an interim backbone while it continues building its own next-generation AI.

Under the proposed plan, Gemini would power Siri’s summariser and planner capabilities, helping the assistant interpret context and execute multi-step tasks. Apple would still run services on its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, intended to keep user data isolated from Google’s systems.

The initiative, internally known as "Glenwood," is overseen by Mike Rockwell and Craig Federighi, leaders involved with Apple’s Vision Pro and software groups. The revamped Siri, referred to inside Apple as "Linwood," is slated to arrive with iOS 26.4.

Sources say Apple does not intend to publicise the collaboration. The deal differs from the high-profile Safari search arrangement: Google’s role would be largely behind the scenes rather than a visible co-branding partner.

The agreement underscores Apple’s recognition that it is behind in some aspects of the AI race. Apple’s current cloud-driven model operates at an estimated 150 billion parameters, well below Gemini’s scale.

To narrow that gap, Apple’s AI research teams are reportedly developing a roughly 1 trillion-parameter model expected to appear next year. Even so, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro remains a leader on global AI performance rankings.

In China, where Google services are restricted, Apple plans to rely on in-house models together with local technology filters from Alibaba and is exploring partnerships with Baidu to adapt "Apple Intelligence" features for that market.

As competition intensifies among major tech firms, this quiet partnership between Apple and Google illustrates a pragmatic alignment of rivals and marks a notable step in evolving Siri from a basic voice assistant into a more capable AI companion.

#News #Tech #AI,