Apple’s CEO confirms the company will pursue AI acquisitions and deepen partnerships as it builds out on-device and cloud-based intelligence capabilities.
Apple eyes M&A to strengthen AI roadmap
Apple CEO Tim Cook signaled a clear interest in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to accelerate the company’s AI strategy, reaffirming Apple’s willingness to acquire companies that can help advance its roadmap.
- “We’re open to pursuing M&A if we think it will advance our roadmap,” Cook told analysts during Apple’s Q4 2025 earnings call.
- The comment reinforces Apple’s commitment to a three-pronged AI approach: in-house development, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions.
AI-powered Siri set for 2026 debut
Cook provided a brief update on Apple’s upcoming AI-enhanced Siri, confirming it is still on track for release in 2026. The next-generation voice assistant is a core part of Apple’s Apple Intelligence initiative.
- Cook stated, “We’re making good progress,” with plans to ship Siri 2.0 next year.
- The update is expected to deliver more contextual understanding, multimodal input, and deeper app integration.
Expanding beyond OpenAI
In a pre-earnings CNBC interview, Cook emphasized Apple’s intention to form more AI partnerships, building on its current deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri and Apple Intelligence.
- “Our intention is to integrate with more people over time,” Cook said, hinting at additional collaborations.
- Apple is aiming for a hybrid model: shipping foundation models on devices while leveraging partners for cloud-based intelligence.
Privacy-first AI infrastructure with Private Cloud Compute
Cook also highlighted Apple’s Private Cloud Compute — a custom cloud system designed to handle sensitive AI tasks securely. It allows Siri and Apple Intelligence to process data without compromising privacy.
- Some Siri queries already use this system, Cook revealed.
- A new manufacturing plant in Houston began producing the custom servers for this infrastructure just weeks ago, with further data center ramp-ups planned.
AI as a selling point for iPhones
Cook noted that AI features are already influencing customer behavior. As Apple gears up for broader AI integration, Apple Intelligence is emerging as a key differentiator in a crowded smartphone market.
- “I would say that Apple Intelligence is a factor, and we’re very bullish on it becoming a greater factor,” Cook added.
- The company is positioning its AI efforts as a long-term driver of hardware sales and platform stickiness.
Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company is open to acquisitions to strengthen its AI roadmap and is progressing toward a 2026 release of its AI-powered Siri. Alongside in-house foundation models and privacy-first cloud systems, Apple is expanding AI partnerships to boost its competitive edge in the evolving smart device market.
