Tech giant Apple has bolstered its artificial intelligence (AI) endeavors with the recent acquisition of Canada-based DarwinAI, as reported by Bloomberg. DarwinAI specializes in vision-based technology tailored for overseeing manufacturing components, aiming to enhance efficiency throughout the production process. Although neither Apple nor DarwinAI have officially disclosed details of the acquisition, several key members of DarwinAI's team have updated their LinkedIn profiles to reflect their transition to Apple's machine learning departments in January.

DarwinAI had secured substantial funding exceeding $15 million across various investment rounds, with notable backers including BDC Capital’s Deep Tech Venture Fund, Honeywell Ventures, Obvious Ventures, and Inovia Capital. BDC Capital has confirmed the exit from DarwinAI on its website, while Obvious Ventures has updated its portfolio to acknowledge the startup's acquisition. Both entities refrained from providing further comments regarding the acquisition at the time of reporting. Requests for comment have been made to Apple, and any response obtained will be duly reflected in updates to this story.

In addition to its contributions to manufacturing efficiency, DarwinAI's expertise extends to techniques for optimizing AI models, making them more compact and faster. Such capabilities align with Apple's ambitions for incorporating on-device generative AI features, which are anticipated to debut with iOS 18 later this year. Despite lagging behind competitors such as OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Microsoft in releasing GenAI-powered functionalities, Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, has affirmed the company's commitment to advancing in this domain. During a recent quarterly earnings call with analysts, Cook reiterated Apple's dedication to AI development, particularly in areas such as Siri, developer tools, and customer support, signaling a promising trajectory for Apple's AI initiatives.