Google AI CEO Demis Hassabis says he is very proud of Apple partnership as iPhone maker ran a very…

Apple has chosen Google’s Gemini AI for its foundation models, a multi-year deal reportedly worth around $1 billion annually. This partnership, confirmed this month, signifies a major shift for Apple, which previously favored in-house development. The revamped Siri, powered by Gemini, is expected with iOS 26.4, aiming for a March/April rollout.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis isn’t hiding his satisfaction over the Apple deal. In an interview with Alex Heath, Hassabis said he’s proud that Gemini came out on top after Apple put multiple AI providers through a thorough evaluation. He added that Google has ideas for efficient AI models that could work well on edge devices like phones and even in robotics.The multi-year partnership, confirmed earlier this month, means Apple’s foundation models will now be built on Gemini and Google’s cloud technology. A joint statement from both companies said Apple found Google’s AI to be the most capable option available. The models will still run on Apple devices and its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, keeping the company’s privacy commitments intact.

Apple weighed options from OpenAI and Anthropic before settling on Google

According to Bloomberg, Apple is shelling out roughly $1 billion a year for a custom 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini model. The company evaluated offerings from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that OpenAI was never really in the running, while Anthropic led early discussions before pricing talks broke down.The Financial Times pegged the deal’s total value at around $5 billion for Google, structured as cloud services rather than a straight licensing arrangement. The revamped Siri powered by Gemini is expected to arrive with iOS 26.4, which should hit beta in February before a wider rollout in March or April.

Hassabis sees room for the partnership to grow

Asked about where Google wants to place Gemini versus keeping it exclusive to its own products, Hassabis said it depends on the situation. He noted that Google still has an edge with first-party devices because it can tightly integrate models with product surfaces. But he made clear the company is keen on enterprise business and deeper collaborations with partners that bring strong ecosystems to the table.For Apple, the deal represents a notable departure from its usual playbook of building everything in-house. The company pushed back its major Siri overhaul from spring 2025 to 2026 and moved AI chief John Giannandrea away from product development. The partnership also builds on a long history between the two tech giants—Google already pays Apple billions annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones.