Google Wins $1B/Year to Put Gemini ‘Behind-the-Scenes’ of Siri

Google has scored a significant financial and strategic victory over its rivals, securing a $1 billion-a-year deal to have its Gemini AI model power Apple’s Siri. This “behind-the-scenes” integration will put Google’s tech at the core of its competitor’s flagship assistant.

The deal comes after an intense “bake-off” where Apple tested models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Google’s “ultrapowerful” 1.2 trillion parameter model was an undisputed winner, chosen to handle the most complex functions for the new “Linwood” Siri.

This is a “temporary fix” for Apple, which is struggling to catch up in the AI race. Its “Glenwood” project aims to fix Siri, and this deal allows it to use Google’s “summariser” and “planner” functions, a huge leap from Apple’s 150-billion parameter models.

While Apple pushes its own teams to develop a 1 trillion parameter replacement, this partnership could last for years, given Google’s rapid advancement. The deal is a major win for Google’s status as an “AI supplier,” with Snap also using its Vertex AI platform.

Privacy was a key hurdle. Apple’s executives, Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell, ensured the Gemini model will be hosted on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute. This “walled-off” system gives Google its $1B fee but no access to Apple user data.