Apple Will Pay One Billion Dollars a Year to Use Gemini in Siri
Apple is set to finalize a historic deal with Google, estimated at nearly one billion dollars a year, to use a customized version of the Gemini artificial intelligence model as part of a complete redesign of Siri, according to an exclusive report from Bloomberg.
This decision marks a significant turning point for Apple, which has traditionally relied on its own technologies.
However, to catch up in the generative AI space, the Cupertino company has opted to leverage the power of Gemini—while simultaneously preparing its own “Apple Intelligence” models.
Google and Apple: A Strategic Alliance Between Two Historic Rivals
After testing models from OpenAI and Anthropic, Apple has reportedly chosen Google Gemini for its versatility and stability. The partnership will involve a customized model with 1.2 trillion parameters, which is eight times larger than Apple’s current model (150 billion parameters).
“This is one of the most significant technology partnerships in recent years,” notes Mark Gurman from Bloomberg.
Apple plans to deploy this version on its Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring that personal data will not be used to train the Google model, a central requirement of its privacy policy.
What This Means for Siri
With Gemini, the new generation of Siri will be able to comprehend context and nuance in conversations, generate intelligent summaries (emails, articles, documents), plan tasks, and interact proactively while searching the web to formulate synthesized responses, much like ChatGPT or Perplexity.
The new Siri is expected to launch in Spring 2026, just in time for Apple’s 50th anniversary celebrations, according to India Today.
A Hybrid Model: Cloud and Local Processing
The redesign is based on a hybrid architecture:
- Simple queries (messages, reminders, quick actions) will be processed locally on the iPhone or Mac by Apple’s models.
- Complex tasks (multimodal analysis, text or image generation) will go through the secure Gemini servers.
Apple asserts that user data will remain within the Apple ecosystem, adhering to the requirements of the Private Cloud Compute presented during WWDC 2024.
A Billion-Dollar Deal with Massive Implications
This partnership amounting to one billion dollars annually adds to the existing multi-year contract between the two companies, which makes Google the default search engine on iOS. Analysts suggest that this alliance could generate several billion in additional service revenue for Apple through increased adoption of Siri and Apple Intelligence.
This rapprochement between two giants, already under scrutiny, could attract the attention of antitrust authorities, particularly in the United States and Europe. Neither company plans to officially announce the partnership before the actual launch of the new Siri to avoid premature criticism.
Global Impact on the AI Sector
This collaboration illustrates a new era of coopetition: instead of developing everything in-house, Apple is strategically choosing to collaborate to accelerate its transition to advanced artificial intelligence. If the integration is successful, Siri could once again become a major player in the smart assistant market, finally competing with ChatGPT, Gemini Assistant, and Alexa.
Apple is banking on a strategic alliance to revitalize Siri and establish itself in the AI battle. By temporarily handing over the reins of its assistant to Gemini, the brand is preparing for a cautious yet ambitious transition into a future where artificial intelligence is at the heart of the Apple experience.
