Google’s $1B ‘Interim’ Deal to Make Siri Competitive

Google has secured a $1 billion annual deal to help make its rival’s assistant competitive. Apple will use Google’s 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini AI as an “interim solution” to power the new “Linwood” Siri, set for a spring release.
This “behind-the-scenes” integration is part of Apple’s “Glenwood” project. Google’s “ultrapowerful” model was chosen after a “bake-off” where it beat OpenAI and Anthropic. It will handle all complex “summariser” and “planner” functions.
The new Siri will be a hybrid, using Apple’s 150-billion parameter models for simple tasks and Google’s AI for heavy lifting. This is a reluctant admission of Apple’s AI lag, overseen by Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell.
For Google, this is a major strategic win, positioning it as an “AI supplier.” For Apple, it’s a “temporary fix” as its teams race to build a 1T+ model replacement.
Privacy is non-negotiable. The Gemini model will be hosted on Apple’s “walled-off” Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring Google gets its $1B fee but no access to user data.