Apple co-trains China-specific Apple Intelligence with Alibaba, Qwen integration for China devices
Apple disclosed on August 14-15 that it has co-trained a China-specific large language model with Alibaba. Qwen is integrated in localized form into Apple Intelligence on China iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Reuters reported on August 14, and Apple confirmed in its Mac user manual on August 15, that it has co-trained a China-specific large language model with Alibaba. The model uses a dual-track "self-developed model + Qwen" approach and will be integrated into Apple Intelligence on China iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro devices, expected to roll out via iOS updates in the coming months.
The collaboration follows Apple's July generative AI filing approval from China's Cyberspace Administration, making Apple the first foreign company approved to offer a proprietary AI model in China. Apple previously relied on Baidu Ernie and Alibaba Qwen as third-party providers, and this deal shifts to Apple-led self-development.
On August 14, Apple briefly published a simplified Chinese support document titled "Using Qwen with Apple Intelligence on Mac," explaining how to connect Qwen extensions to Siri and Writing Tools. The page was removed within a day without explanation. Alibaba's US-listed shares rose as much as 4% in premarket trading after the July filing news.
Apple's pivot to self-development in China is driven by regulatory barriers (US models like ChatGPT and Claude are not directly available in China) and competitive pressure from domestic brands like Huawei, which have grabbed share with built-in AI assistants. The absence of AI features on China iPhones has been cited as a factor weighing on sales.