Apple trains its own AI model for China with Alibaba’s help

Apple ↗ 1.00% has trained a large language model specifically for the Chinese market with support from Alibaba ↘ 2.44%, Reuters reported on Friday, marking a departure from the iPhone maker's previous reliance on third-party models to power AI features in the country.reuters

The move would make Apple the first foreign company approved by Beijing to offer a proprietary AI model in China, a rare cross-border collaboration amid escalating trade and diplomatic tensions between the United States and China over AI development.theverge+1

A Dual-Track Strategy

Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Apple developed the China-specific model in partnership with Alibaba and trained it with the Chinese tech giant's technical support. The company had previously leaned on domestic partners' models to bring generative AI to iPhones and other devices sold in China, where U.S. models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude are unavailable.japantimes+1

Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI tools, is expected to launch in China in the coming months following an update to its iOS operating system. Under the arrangement, Alibaba's Qwen model will also be incorporated into the Chinese version of Apple Intelligence on compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro devices, alongside technology from Baidu ↘ 0.15%.reuters+1

Reuters described the planned rollout as a "dual-track strategy" combining Apple's proprietary model with locally approved third-party systems to navigate China's strict regulatory requirements.macrumors+1

Regulatory Clearance and Competitive Pressure

The launch follows a regulatory process that concluded in July, when the Cyberspace Administration of China registered Apple's generative AI service, clearing the way for Apple Intelligence to reach Chinese iPhones for the first time. Last week, Apple briefly published a Chinese-language guide explaining how Mac users could connect Qwen to Siri and Writing Tools before removing it without explanation.theverge+2

The partnership was first confirmed in February 2025, when Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai: "They talked to a number of companies in China. In the end they chose to do business with us."reuters+1

Apple has been losing ground in China to local rivals including Huawei that have raced ahead with AI-equipped handsets, and the absence of Apple Intelligence on Chinese iPhones has been cited as a factor weighing on sales. It remains unclear what specific role Apple's self-trained model will play alongside Qwen and other third-party systems.thenextweb+1