Redakcja Choose TV
Rumours of a possible acquisition of PrismML by Apple emerged after a report by The Information and comments from the startup's CEO. PrismML works on compressing large language models so they can run on mobile devices. Recently the company boasted of running a modified Qwen 3.6 model with 27 billion parameters on the iPhone 17 Pro. Although the technology has attracted industry interest, experts are sceptical about reports of a possible acquisition. In their view, the way the matter was disclosed does not resemble Apple's usual practices. That raises questions about whether serious negotiations are actually underway, or whether this is more an attempt to promote the startup.
Public disclosure of talks is out of keeping with Apple's style
One of the main reasons for scepticism is the behaviour of PrismML's CEO, who openly admitted in an interview with CNBC that Apple is evaluating his company's technology. He also said the talks are preliminary and are moving in the right direction. Such public comments from Apple are, however, rare. The iPhone maker has long been known for its highly restrictive approach to confidentiality, especially when it comes to acquisitions and the development of new technologies. Information about potential acquisitions typically does not reach the public before contracts are signed or an official announcement is made. That is why some analysts believe that the disclosure of details by PrismML's CEO may have undermined the credibility of the whole story. Some even suggest the statement was primarily intended to raise the company's profile among investors and business partners. Additionally, Apple has not commented publicly on these reports. The company's silence does not, of course, determine the outcome of the talks, but it is consistent with its usual communication strategy. Until the company issues an official statement, information about a possible acquisition should be treated as mere speculation.
Apple is developing its own AI models and may not need PrismML
A second argument against the acquisition is Apple’s development of its own proprietary artificial intelligence technologies. The company is working intensively on the Apple Foundation Models family, which forms the basis for Apple Intelligence and the new version of Siri. According to earlier reports, Apple is also using Google’s Gemini models as a base for creating its own solutions optimised to run on its devices. One of PrismML’s biggest strengths is reducing the size of AI models while maintaining high performance. Meanwhile, Apple has already developed its own models intended to run directly on users’ devices. These solutions activate only a subset of parameters depending on the task, which reduces memory usage and improves performance. This means the company already has capabilities very similar to those offered by PrismML. Additionally, Apple has long been known for its cautious approach to large acquisitions and for thoroughly analysing the profitability of each investment. In this situation, buying a startup developing technology similar to its own solutions seems less likely. Of course, collaboration between the two companies cannot be completely ruled out, but at present there is no evidence pointing to an imminent completion of a deal.
Reports that Apple may be acquiring PrismML have generated considerable interest, but so far there is no concrete evidence to support such a scenario. Public statements by the startup's CEO and the fact that Apple is developing its own AI technologies mean that many experts view these reports with considerable scepticism. We still have to wait for an official stance from the iPhone maker on the matter.
source: wccftech
