apple It has reportedly acquired Canadian artificial intelligence (AI) startup DarwinAI in a strategic move to strengthen its position in the AI market.
The acquisition took place earlier this year but has not been officially announced, Bloomberg report Thursday (March 14), citing anonymous sources.
Apple did not immediately respond to PYMNTS' request for comment.
Darwin AI Website Unreachable.
Apple reportedly told Bloomberg that it may acquire smaller technology companies, but did not discuss its plans.
According to the report, DarwinAI is known for developing AI technology to visually inspect components during manufacturing.
The startup's expertise in developing smaller, faster AI systems aligns with Apple's focus on running AI on its devices, rather than just cloud-based solutions, the report said. states.
Alexander WongThe University of Waterloo AI researcher and key figure in building DarwinAI has joined Apple as director of the company's AI group, according to the report.
The acquisition comes as Apple prepares for a major push into generative AI in 2024, according to the report. Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised to “break new ground” in AI this year, with an announcement scheduled at the company's global developer conference in June.
Despite acquiring more AI companies than most of its competitors over the past decade, Apple has lagged in the generative AI market, the report said.
Internally, Apple has already begun integrating generative AI into its operations, according to the report. The company uses the technology to assist with customer service requests and plans to incorporate it into software that automatically creates presentations and completes blocks of text. Additionally, Apple is working on a new version of its Xcode programming software that uses AI to help developers write code.
According to a report on February 27, Apple has halted development of electric cars and is transferring many members from the car team to the electric car team. AI department.
On February 28th, Apple CEO tim cook At its annual general meeting, the company said it would provide further details about its usage strategy. Generation AI later this year.
Cook said the company recognizes the extraordinary potential of this technology, is making significant investments in this area and looks forward to developing innovative advances.