Apple will use in China Apple Intelligence It has completed important stages in its work with Alibaba for its model. According to information provided by Reuters, Alibaba supported the training of Apple’s large language model specific to China. However, Apple, Alibaba Qwen It also plans to use its technology and Baidu solutions in certain tasks. The company hasn’t announced the exact date yet, but sources expect Apple Intelligence to be available in China with an iOS update in the coming months.
Apple uses its own models in other countries and directs some requests to OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. However, rules in China prevent the company from bringing the same system directly to the country. That’s why Apple is working with local technology providers while developing its own model specific to the Chinese market. According to Reuters, the company aims to retain as much control of the Chinese model as possible.
Alibaba’s work with Apple does not only include model training. Apple Intelligence release noted by Chinese regulators in July From Qwen features on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro will benefit. In addition, Apple plans to use Baidu technology in some functions. Apple published a support page on August 8 telling Mac users in China how to connect Qwen with Siri and Writing Tools, then removed the page without explanation.
Alibaba President Joe Tsai confirmed the collaboration between Apple and Alibaba in February 2025. The two companies then continued their efforts to obtain the necessary official permits in China. However, trade tensions between the USA and China and the regulatory process delayed Apple’s planned schedule. The completion of the Apple Intelligence registration by the China Cyberspace Administration in July left one of the important official milestones for the company behind.
China’s AI rules force Apple to turn to local partners
China imposes various obligations on providers for training data, personal information, content rules and data quality in generative AI services. Additionally, the country is conducting a registration process for certain generative AI services and is asking providers to disclose the registered models they use. Because of these rules, Apple is banned in China Alibaba and Baidu works together with. The company is thus preparing the China version of Apple Intelligence according to the country’s local technical and legal requirements.
These efforts coincide with a period when Apple increased its sales in China again. According to IDC, the Chinese smartphone market will shrink by 4.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026, decreasing to approximately 66 million units, while Apple will increase its shipments. increased by 24.4 percent. While the company rose to second place with 18.1 percent market share, Huawei took first place with 22.6 percent. Omdia reported that Apple shipped 12.4 million iPhones in the same quarter and reached a record market share for the second quarter in mainland China.
Apple has not yet shared the exact release date of the Apple Intelligence version in China. Reuters sources state that the company plans to offer the service via an iOS update in the coming months. In the Chinese version, Apple’s own model, Alibaba’s Qwen technology and Baidu’s certain services will work together.
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