Apple users can expect a dramatically smarter Siri next spring, but its new intelligence will come at a $1 billion annual cost, paid directly to Google. Apple is finalizing a deal to license Google’s “ultrapowerful” 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini AI model to serve as the core technology for a long-awaited Siri overhaul. This move is designed to bridge the significant AI gap between Apple and its competitors, using Google’s engine as an “interim solution.”
The new Siri, code-named “Linwood” and planned for the iOS 26.4 update, is the flagship product of “Project Glenwood,” an internal effort led by executives Mike Rockwell and Craig Federighi. This project was initiated after Apple’s in-house models, including a 150-billion parameter cloud AI, were found to be insufficient for the company’s next-generation ambitions. After testing models from OpenAI and Anthropic, Apple selected Gemini as its best path forward.
The 1.2 trillion parameter model will be responsible for Siri’s most complex cognitive tasks: the “summariser” and “planner” functions. This means Siri will finally be ableto understand and execute complex, multi-part commands, synthesizing information and planning actions in a way that is currently impossible. Simpler tasks will still be handled by Apple’s own models in a hybrid approach.
Privacy remains a central concern for Apple. The deal explicitly states that the Google model will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. This “walled-off” system, for which Apple has already allocated server hardware, guarantees that no user data is ever sent to or processed by Google’s infrastructure, preserving Apple’s core privacy promises.
This partnership will not be publicly acknowledged, as Apple intends to treat Google as a “behind-the-scenes” supplier. This is a temporary measure, as Apple’s ultimate goal is to replace Gemini with its own 1 trillion parameter model, which is currently in development. However, the company is in a difficult race against Google’s rapidly improving, top-tier AI, making this $1 billion-a-year reliance a difficult one to break.