Apple reached a deal with Alibaba to bring Apple Intelligence to China. The deal is now confirmed by Alibaba Group itself.
Apple will be Using Alibaba’s Qwen AI Model to Power Apple Intelligence in China, Deal Confirmed by Company Chairman
So far, Apple Intelligence is nowhere to be seen in China because Apple needs to strike a deal with a local company to power its AI.
Interestingly enough, Apple reached a deal with Alibaba in order to power Apple Intelligence features, according to one report.
Alibaba has officially confirmed the deal with Apple in World Governments Summit in Dubai. The statement regarding the deal was made by Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai.
In case you’re wondering, Apple Intelligence will take its AI prowess using Alibaba’s Qwen model, which is considered one of the best around.
Apple has been in talks with a bunch of other companies for an AI partnership, including Baidu. But, the deal was reached with Alibaba Group instead.
While it’s being speculated a lot that iOS 18.4 will bring Apple Intelligence to China in April, I’ll be thoroughly impressed if Apple is able to reach that goal in such a short amount of time.
Do keep in mind that Apple looks to expand its AI to other regions with the iOS 18.4 update, so who knows it might just add China to the list of countries and regions as well.
