Photo: REUTERS/Florence Lo
Three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that the model has already been trained. It is set to become part of Apple Intelligence—a suite of AI features that the company plans to launch in China in the coming months.
The stakes are high for Apple. China remains one of the company’s most important markets, but there it has faced growing pressure from Huawei and other local manufacturers, which are already actively promoting AI-powered smartphones. The absence of Apple Intelligence on iPhones sold in China has become one of the factors complicating the battle for customers.
The partnership with Alibaba began back in February 2025. At that time, Alibaba CEO Joe Cai announced that Apple had chosen his company after negotiations with several Chinese developers. However, the launch of the AI services was delayed: Apple had to adapt the technology to meet the requirements of Chinese regulators.
In July, China’s Cyberspace Administration registered Apple’s generative AI service, paving the way for the launch of Apple Intelligence. It was originally expected that the Chinese version of the service would include Alibaba’s Qwen model, as well as Baidu’s technologies.
At the same time, the collaboration between Apple and Alibaba goes beyond a typical partnership. The American company is gaining access to the Chinese AI ecosystem while retaining control over its own technology. Reuters notes that this approach could make Apple the first foreign company to receive Beijing’s approval to offer its own AI model in China.
Last week, Apple even published instructions in Chinese on how to connect Qwen to Siri and “Writing Tools” on the Mac, but then removed them without explanation.
It remains unclear how Apple’s proprietary model will distribute tasks among Qwen and technologies from other Chinese developers. But this development alone demonstrates just how important the Chinese market has become for Apple in the race for leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.
