Apple is expected to launch a new version of Siri in 2026 with enhanced AI capabilities, and there seems to be clearer news about the key technology partners behind it.According to Bloomberg NewsApple will use a customized version of the Google Gemini model to drive the core functionality of the new Siri, and will pay Google up to $10 billion annually in licensing fees for this.
Gemini is responsible for the core "summary" and "planning" functions and runs on Apple's private cloud.
The report indicates that the new version of Siri will still use some of Apple's own on-device models, but will heavily rely on the Gemini model running on its Private Cloud Compute servers to "handle Siri's summarizer and planner functions".
These two features are crucial for the new Siri, helping it to "gather information" and "determine how to perform complex tasks." Since Apple's core AI vision has been to empower Siri to operate apps on behalf of users, Gemini will play a key central role.
Reportedly paying $10 billion annually, with plans still to develop its own alternatives in the future.
Reports indicate that Apple will pay $10 billion annually for this, but this amount is still "a small fraction" compared to the enormous sums Google pays each year to ensure that Apple devices use its search engine pre-installed.
Despite using Google's technology, this collaboration is unlikely to be publicly announced. Apple still plans to eventually replace Google's technology with its own custom-designed models.
The report indicates that Apple is actively developing a cloud infrastructure model with "one trillion parameters" and hopes to have it ready for consumer use as early as 2026.
From "Option" to "Core": Siri Delay May Be the Main Cause
Looking back at the evolution of this collaboration, Apple Intelligence now allows Siri to call OpenAI's ChatGPT on specific requests.
Google Gemini was first rumored in March 2024 to be added as another AI "option" to Apple's Intelligence service.
However, after Apple announced in 2025 that it would delay the release of the new Siri feature by one year, its need for external technology has clearly become more urgent. In August of this year, news circulated in the market that Siri might be "supported" by Gemini, at which time Google was asked to create a customized version that could run securely on Apple's servers.
Prior to this, Apple had reportedly discussed similar deep collaborations with Anthropic and OpenAI.
