Apple Inc (AAPL) has completed its acquisition of DarwinAI, a Canadian AI startup, incorporating its technology into its strategic footprint ahead of a major push into generative AI in 2024.。In addition, dozens of DarwinAI employees have joined Apple's artificial intelligence division.。

DarwinAI has developed artificial intelligence technology for visual inspection of components in the manufacturing process and serves customers from all walks of life. One of its core technologies is to make artificial intelligence systems smaller and faster, which is right on Apple's appetite because it is focusing on running artificial intelligence on devices instead of relying entirely on cloud computing。

Alexander Wong, an artificial intelligence researcher at the University of Waterloo who was involved in the establishment of the business, has also joined Apple as a director of its artificial intelligence department.。

An Apple spokesperson said: "The company will acquire smaller technology companies from time to time, but it is not convenient to discuss specific plans.。"

According to Canadian startup community Communitech, DarwinAI has raised more than $15 million in funding as of 2022。The company is also backed by venture capital firms such as Honeywell Ventures and Inovia Capital, and has partnered with companies such as Lockheed Martin and Intel Corp.。

It is reported that Apple is adding load-generating artificial intelligence capabilities to its iOS 18 software, with pioneering tools such as ChatGPT as the technical foundation.。Apple CEO Tim Cook promised that the company will announce relevant news at this year's Global Developers Conference to showcase new developments in the field of artificial intelligence。

Although Apple has acquired more AI companies than most of its competitors in the past decade, it still lags behind in generative AI.。Apple plans to incorporate generative AI into its business, using the technology to improve customer service, automate the creation of presentations and complete blocks of text, and is working on a new version of Xcode programming software that uses AI to help developers write code.。