Apple trained its own AI model for China with Alibaba, moving beyond third-party reliance, three people said. The model cleared China's regulatory approval last month.
Apple has trained a large language model specifically for the China market, three people familiar with the matter said. The model was developed in partnership with Alibaba Group and trained with the Chinese tech giant's support.
The move marks a departure from Apple's earlier strategy of relying on third-party models to power AI features in China. The company had previously leaned toward domestic partners such as Alibaba's Qwen and Baidu to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold in the country.
Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI tools, is expected to launch in China in the coming months after an iOS update, the people said. The Cyberspace Administration of China registered Apple's generative AI service last month, clearing the way for the rollout.
A China-tailored model of its own gives Apple greater control over the AI experience in its most competitive overseas market. The iPhone maker has lost ground to local rivals including Huawei, which have raced ahead with AI-equipped handsets.
The dual-track strategy is unusual for a foreign tech firm in China. It allows Apple to navigate steep regulatory hurdles that have limited access for many other U.S. companies. Apple would become the first foreign company approved by Beijing to offer a proprietary AI model in China, marking a rare collaboration between U.S. and Chinese tech firms amid a widening trade rift.
Alibaba's Qwen model will be incorporated into the version of Apple Intelligence that ships with compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro models in China, the people said. The service was also set to incorporate technology from Baidu, Reuters reported in July.
Last week, Apple published a Chinese-language guide explaining how eligible Mac users in mainland China could connect Qwen to its Siri digital assistant and Writing Tools feature. Apple has since deleted the guide without providing an explanation.
Alibaba's U.S.-listed shares climbed about 4% in premarket trading on news of the July registration, underscoring investor expectations that the tie-up could reshape China's AI ecosystem.
Apple's partnership with Alibaba was first confirmed in February 2025, when Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai, speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, said Apple would use the Chinese company's AI to power its phones in China. “They talked to a number of companies in China. In the end they chose to do business with us,” Tsai said at the time. The rollout was subsequently delayed as Apple worked to adapt its features to Chinese regulations.
China remains critical to Apple's fortunes, accounting for a significant share of its revenue. The absence of AI features on Chinese iPhones had been cited as a factor weighing on sales as consumers gravitated toward domestic brands offering built-in AI assistants.
It was not immediately clear what role Apple's self-trained model would play alongside the third-party Chinese models and how those are working together.
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