Reuters reports that Apple has trained its own large language model for the China market, moving away from reliance on third‑party models to power its Apple Intelligence features.

The new model was developed with assistance from Alibaba, marking a break from Apple’s previous strategy of using domestic models in China. This dual-track strategy enables Apple to navigate regulatory hurdles and become the first foreign company approved to offer a proprietary AI system in the country. The approach lets Apple balance compliance with local data rules while maintaining a competitive edge in the fast‑growing Chinese AI market.

Apple previously agreed to incorporate Alibaba's Qwen model into its features, even publishing a short support guide that showed Mac users how to link the Qwen AI to Siri and Writing Tools before pulling it within a day. The regulator’s approval now clears Apple Intelligence for launch on iPhones in China, expected in the coming months. Regulators have placed Apple on a list of cleared providers alongside homegrown services from domestic phone makers, underscoring the significance of its approval.

In a separate development, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and colleagues have urged Apple to commit to not purchasing memory chips from Chinese firms CXMT and YMTC, citing shortages that have driven up Mac and iPad prices.