Apple acquires Canadian company DarwinAI

Previously, we reported on rumors suggesting that iOS 18 could represent a significant update, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the system’s AI capabilities. Recently, media reports have confirmed that Apple acquired the Canadian company DarwinAI earlier this year, further underscoring Apple’s increasing focus on the development of AI.

Apple responded to this development in its typical fashion, stating that “Apple occasionally acquires smaller technology companies,” but did not disclose the purpose of the acquisition.

It is understood that DarwinAI had developed AI technology capable of visual inspection of components during the manufacturing process and had successfully commercialized this technology. One of the core technologies of DarwinAI, which optimizes AI systems for both lightweight and high performance, is likely to be valued by Apple. This is because Apple is focused on deploying AI functionality locally on devices, rather than relying on cloud-based AI services. Following Apple’s acquisition, all social media accounts of DarwinAI were deactivated, and several DarwinAI employees have joined Apple’s artificial intelligence division. Notably, DarwinAI’s AI researcher Alexander Wong now serves as a director in Apple’s AI department.

Following the announcement of this news, Apple’s stock price momentarily rose to $173.37 per share, an increase of over 1%. Although Apple entered the AI field later than some, both this acquisition and the recently circulated rumors about abandoning car manufacturing to focus fully on AI development demonstrate Apple’s commitment to AI. However, as of now, Apple’s capabilities in the AI field still lag behind those of companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.