Apple $AAPL Intelligence received regulatory clearance in China on Wednesday, according to Reuters, with Alibaba confirming that its Qwen AI model will be integrated into the service across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS for users in the country.
China's cyberspace regulator cleared Apple's AI service, with Alibaba confirming its Qwen model will power the experience across Apple's operating systems
Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images
Apple $AAPL Intelligence received regulatory clearance in China on Wednesday, according to Reuters, with Alibaba confirming that its Qwen AI model will be integrated into the service across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS for users in the country.
China's Cyberspace Administration included Apple's AI service on a list of approved providers, a requirement for any company offering large language models or generative AI services to the public in China. The regulator's statement did not specify a launch date.
An Alibaba spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that the Qwen model will power Apple Intelligence on all of the company's major platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS — for users in China. The spokesperson described the integration as allowing users to draw on Qwen's features — among them the ability to process and generate both text and images — from within Apple's own interface rather than opening a separate application.
Apple is also working with Baidu to develop Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users, a Baidu spokesperson said, according to Reuters.
Alibaba's U.S.-listed shares climbed about 4% before Wednesday's market open on news of the deal.
The approval ends a lengthy wait for Chinese consumers. Apple first announced Apple Intelligence in 2024, but the service was held back in China as the company worked through regulatory requirements. In the second quarter, Apple's China shipments were up 24.4% compared with the same period a year earlier.
Apple unveiled a rebuilt version of Siri powered by Google $GOOGL Gemini at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this summer, set to arrive with iOS 27 this fall. At the time, Apple noted the service would not be available in China while the company worked through regulatory requirements — a condition now resolved with Wednesday's approval.
The China clearance arrives as technology competition between the United States and China has intensified. The announcement also lands against a backdrop of mounting regulatory tension: Alibaba recently prohibited its staff from using Anthropic's tools, CNBC reported, and members of Congress are weighing legislation that would restrict U.S. companies from relying on Chinese AI technology.
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