Apple buys Canadian industrial AI startup

Apple has acquired DarwinAI, a Canadian startup specialising in computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes.

Here's What We Know

While neither party has officially announced the deal, several former DarwinAI employees joined Apple's machine learning team in January according to their LinkedIn profiles.

DarwinAI has raised more than $15 million in investment from BDC Capital, Honeywell Ventures, Obvious Ventures and Inovia Capital. BDC and Obvious noted that they received an exit from this investment after selling the startup.

According to Bloomberg, DarwinAI's technology can make AI models smaller and faster. This could come in handy for Apple to introduce generative AI features into iOS 18 devices later this year.

Flashback

As of today, Apple is lagging behind competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft in releasing generative AI products. In February, CEO Tim Cook said the company plans to introduce such features "later this year."

Last year, Apple confirmed investment in developing generative AI and exploring its use in a variety of areas, including Siri, developer tools and customer service.

Source: TechCrunch