Apple is preparing to give Siri its most significant upgrade yet by integrating a custom version of Google’s powerful Gemini artificial intelligence model. According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the two tech titans have struck a deal worth around $1 billion per year, granting Apple access to advanced AI capabilities that enable natural summaries, contextual reasoning, and complex task planning all part of Apple’s long-term push to modernize its digital assistant.

The custom Gemini model, boasting 1.2 trillion parameters, dwarfs Apple’s current 150 billion-parameter Apple Intelligence system. After extensive testing, Apple chose Google’s Gemini over rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. This integration will serve as an interim solution while Apple continues building its own in-house large language model, aiming to achieve comparable sophistication in the near future.

Codenamed “Glenwood” internally, the initiative is led by Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell and software chief Craig Federighi. The enhanced voice assistant, known as “Linwood,” is expected to launch with iOS 26.4 next spring. Early market reactions were positive: Apple’s shares rose slightly while Alphabet, Google’s parent company, gained up to 3.2%. The project represents a pivotal step in Apple’s renewed focus on artificial intelligence leadership.

Under the partnership, Gemini will power Siri’s new summarizer and planner features capabilities that let the assistant understand broader contexts and develop actionable plans. Importantly, all Gemini-powered operations will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring user data remains separate from Google’s infrastructure. As with its Safari search deal, Google will play a silent technical role without visible branding. Apple has already deployed server hardware dedicated to this upgrade, emphasizing its privacy-first stance.

This collaboration differs from previous discussions about embedding Gemini as a full-fledged chatbot inside Siri. It also does not alter Siri’s search engine behavior or add Gemini search results to Apple’s ecosystem. During a recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook hinted that Apple may add multiple chatbot options in future iOS releases, complementing the existing ChatGPT integration signaling continued experimentation in consumer-facing AI.

The partnership underscores Apple’s recognition of the AI arms race and its urgency to catch up. Despite internal challenges, including the departure of several top AI researchers, Apple is developing its own 1-trillion-parameter model expected to roll out next year. Executives remain confident this home-grown system will eventually match or surpass Google’s AI quality, providing the foundation for Siri’s evolution across devices.

However, the competition remains fierce. Google continues to refine Gemini, whose 2.5 Pro model currently ranks among the world’s leading LLMs, according to MLCommons. For Apple, regional constraints add another layer of complexity: since Google services are banned in China, the company plans to rely on its proprietary model paired with an Alibaba-developed content filter to meet local standards. Discussions are also ongoing with Baidu Inc. for potential AI collaborations tailored to the Chinese market.

In essence, this collaboration represents more than just a software upgrade, it’s a strategic reawakening for Siri and a bold acknowledgment by Apple that cooperation, not isolation, may be the fastest route to a truly intelligent assistant.