Apple has chosen Google’s Gemini AI for its foundation models, a multi-year deal reportedly worth around $1 billion annually. The revamped Siri, powered by Gemini, is expected with iOS 26.4, aiming for a March/April rollout. This partnership, confirmed this month, signifies a major shift for Apple, which previously favored in-house development.
Apple is shelling out roughly $1 billion a year for a custom 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini model, according to Bloomberg. The Financial Times pegged the deal’s total value at around $5 billion for Google, structured as cloud services rather than a straight licensing arrangement. The revamped Siri powered by Gemini is expected to arrive with iOS 26.4, which should hit beta in February before a wider rollout in March or April.
The multi-year partnership, confirmed earlier this month, means Apple’s foundation models will now be built on Gemini and Google’s cloud technology. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that OpenAI was never really in the running, while Anthropic led early discussions before pricing talks broke down.
A joint statement from both companies said Apple found Google’s AI to be the most capable option available. The models will still run on Apple devices and its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, keeping the company’s privacy commitments intact. The company evaluated offerings from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic.