Apple and Google just announced a multi-year partnership that makes Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology the foundation for the next generation of Apple Foundation Models—technology that will, in turn, help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri reportedly “coming this year.”
The news was initially reported by CNBC and was followed by a joint statement from Apple and Google:
“Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.
After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users. Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.”
Rumors of the move have been circulating for months but the official confirmation remains huge news. Controversy around Apple Intelligence AI features have surrounded the company since its March 2025 announcement that it would delay the more advanced features it announced during WWDC 2024. These delays centered around a more personalized Siri that was smarter and more capable thanks to context-aware AI smarts that would allow you to ask it questions and get assistance inside the apps you use on your devices every day.
What are “Apple Foundation Models?”
Foundation models are the big, general-purpose AI models that can be adapted to lots of tasks: summarizing, generating text, understanding requests, handling multi-step reasoning, and (increasingly) taking actions.
Apple is saying the next generation of the models it builds Apple Intelligence on will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud tech. Apple won’t just be calling on Gemini for answers like it does now with ChatGPT. It’s aligning the underlying AI layer—Apple’s foundation—with Gemini as the base.
Essentially, the move represents an admission that Apple’s own underlying AI technology just wasn’t capable enough to implement the features it initially promised back at WWDC 2024. The company is betting Google Gemini is a better foundation to build from in the hopes of starting to deliver those features “later this year,” according to CNBC.
Apple Intelligence features will remain privacy-focused
If your immediate reaction is, “Wait—Apple is going to run Siri on Google’s cloud?” you’re not alone. However, Apple says that though Gemini models and cloud technology will serve as the underlying technology for the new features, Apple Intelligence features will not be running on Google’s cloud.
Apple says Apple Intelligence features will continue to run on-device, when possible and will be handed off to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute when it needs more horsepower while maintaining Apple’s “industry-leading privacy standards.”
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