Following an extensive “bake-off,” Google’s 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini model has been chosen to power Apple’s new Siri. The deal is worth $1 billion annually to Google, which beat out OpenAI and Anthropic for the contract.
This “interim solution” is a core part of Apple’s “Glenwood” project, the internal effort to fix its lagging assistant. The “Linwood” Siri, set for a spring release, will be a hybrid system.
Google’s “ultrapowerful” AI will handle the most complex “summariser” and “planner” functions, a massive upgrade from Apple’s 150-billion parameter models. Apple’s tech will be used for simpler tasks.
This is a reluctant admission of Apple’s AI lag, overseen by executives Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell. It’s also a major win for Google’s “AI supplier” ambitions.
Privacy is a non-negotiable. The Gemini model will be hosted on Apple’s “walled-off” Private Cloud Compute servers, not Google’s. This ensures Google gets its money but no access to Apple user data.
