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Rumors that Apple may acquire PrismML surfaced 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 announced it had launched a modified Qwen 3.6 model with 27 billion parameters on the iPhone 17 Pro. Although the technology has drawn industry interest, experts are skeptical about the possible acquisition. They say 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 of a publicity push by the startup.
Publicly disclosing talks doesn't fit Apple's style
One of the main reasons for skepticism is the conduct 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 a positive direction. Such public comments are, however, rare for Apple. The iPhone maker has long been known for a very strict approach to confidentiality, especially when it comes to acquisitions and the development of new technologies. Information about potential acquisitions usually does not reach the public before agreements are signed or an official announcement is made. That is why some analysts believe that the CEO of PrismML revealing details may have undermined the credibility of the whole story. Some even suggest that the statement was primarily intended to raise the company's profile among investors and business partners. Additionally, Apple has not publicly commented on the reports. The company's silence, of course, does not indicate the outcome of the talks, but it is consistent with its established communication strategy. Until the company issues an official statement, information about a possible acquisition should be treated only as speculation.
Apple is developing its own AI models and may not need PrismML
The second argument against the acquisition is Apple's development of its own in-house 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 also uses Google's Gemini models as a base for creating its own solutions tailored to run on its devices. One of PrismML's biggest advantages is reducing the size of AI models while maintaining high-quality performance. Meanwhile, Apple has already developed its own models designed to run directly on users' devices. These solutions activate only a portion of parameters depending on the task being performed, which reduces memory usage and improves performance. That 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 carefully analyzing the profitability of each investment. In this situation, acquiring 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 there is currently no evidence suggesting a deal will be finalized soon.
Reports of a possible acquisition of PrismML by Apple have attracted considerable interest, but so far there is no concrete evidence to support that scenario. Public comments from the startup’s CEO and the fact that Apple is developing its own AI technologies have led many experts to view the reports with skepticism. An official statement from the iPhone maker on the matter is still pending.
source: wccftech
