In a calculated move to improve its standing in the artificial intelligence (AI) business, Apple is said to have purchased the Canadian AI startup DarwinAI.
An anonymous source disclosed that the acquisition happened earlier this year but has not been formally publicised.
Although neither Apple nor DarwinAI have made this arrangement public, according to their LinkedIn profiles, a number of the startup’s employees joined Apple’s machine learning teams in January.
DarwinAI bills itself as a startup renowned for creating AI systems that visually analyse components while they are being manufactured.
According to the report, the startup’s proficiency in developing faster, smaller AI systems is in line with Apple’s goal of using AI on devices rather than just in cloud-based solutions.
Through multiple rounds of funding, investors like BDC Capital’s Deep Tech Venture Fund, Honeywell Ventures, Obvious Ventures, and Inovia Capital have contributed over $15 million to DarwinAI.
On its website, BDC Capital affirms that it has received an exit from DarwinAI, while Obvious Venture has updated its portfolio to reflect the acquisition of the startup.
According to the report, Alexander Wong, an AI researcher at the University of Waterloo who was instrumental in developing DarwinAI, has joined Apple as a director in its AI group.
Apple is reportedly preparing for a major push into generative AI in 2024, which coincides with the acquisition.
Apple, according to experts, has underperformed in the generative AI industry even though it has acquired more AI businesses than the majority of its rivals over the past ten years.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has pledged to “break new ground” in artificial intelligence this year. An announcement is anticipated at the company’s global developers conference in June.
