Apple has found an “interim solution” to its Siri problem, and it’s a $1 billion-a-year deal with Google. The tech giant will use Google’s 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini AI to handle the most complex functions of its new assistant, codenamed “Linwood.”
This move is a reluctant admission of Apple’s AI lag, as its own 150-billion parameter models are not up to the task. The “Glenwood” project, Apple’s effort to fix Siri, will now rely on a rival’s technology for its most advanced features.
Google’s AI was selected after a competitive “bake-off” where it outperformed models from OpenAI and Anthropic. Gemini will function as the “summariser” and “planner,” enabling Siri to finally understand and execute multi-step commands.
Privacy is a non-negotiable for Apple. The Gemini model will not run on Google’s servers. Instead, it will be hosted on Apple’s “walled-off” Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring all user data stays within Apple’s ecosystem.
While Apple management is pushing its own teams to build a 1 trillion parameter replacement, catching Google is an immense challenge. This “temporary” fix, overseen by Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell, could become a long-term dependency.