Apple has acquired Israeli artificial intelligence startup Q.ai for about $2 billion, the company confirmed Thursday, adding roughly 100 employees and advanced audio-focused machine learning technology to its hardware division. The move, in which Apple buys Israeli AI audio startup, represents one of the company’s largest acquisitions in recent years.
Apple confirmed the deal after earlier reports by Reuters and Macworld, marking the company’s second-largest acquisition ever by value. Only the $3 billion purchase of Beats Electronics in 2014 ranks higher, according to public disclosures.
The acquisition brings Q.ai, a secretive startup specializing in artificial intelligence for complex audio problems, into Apple’s expanding push to embed AI more deeply into its devices. The company did not disclose financial terms, but Reuters cited sources valuing the deal at about $2 billion.
Apple said Q.ai’s employees will join its hardware technologies group, which oversees core components such as processors, sensors and camera systems. The group plays a central role in defining future iPhone, iPad and wearable capabilities.
“Q.ai is a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning,” Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s to come.”
Deal Marks Apple’s Second-Largest Acquisition to Date
Apple rarely makes large acquisitions, preferring to buy smaller companies and integrate their technology quietly. The recent move, in which Apple buys Israeli AI audio startup places Q.ai among the company’s most significant deals, behind Beats Electronics and ahead of Apple’s $1 billion acquisition of Intel’s cellular modem business in 2016.
Industry analysts view the move as a signal that Apple is willing to spend more aggressively to secure specialized AI talent and intellectual property, particularly as rivals race to deploy generative and perceptual AI features.
Apple confirmed the acquisition but declined to comment on how Q.ai’s technology would be used in future products. Apple typically avoids discussing product road maps tied to acquisitions.
Macworld senior editor Jason Cross wrote that the deal underscores Apple’s long-standing interest in audio quality, privacy and accessibility, areas where machine learning can offer incremental but meaningful improvements.
Q.ai Tech Targets Speech, Emotion Detection and Audio Privacy
Q.ai focuses on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve audio-related challenges in noisy or constrained environments. Its public website offers few details, carrying only the tagline, “In a world full of noise, we craft a new kind of quiet. ”The recent acquisition, in which Apple buys Israeli AI audio startup, highlights Apple’s push into specialized AI audio technology.
More insight comes from patent filings and professional profiles. Reuters reported that Q.ai filed a patent last year describing technology that reads facial skin micromovements to detect spoken or mouthed words. The system can also assess emotional state, heart rate and respiration.
Such capabilities could enhance speech recognition, video calling and accessibility features, particularly in situations where microphones struggle or privacy is critical. The technology may also enable more accurate emotion-aware interfaces, though Apple has not confirmed specific applications.
According to the company’s LinkedIn page, Q.ai aims to enable “super high bandwidth” human communication with improved privacy, accessibility and multilingual support.
Team Joins Hardware Unit Led by Johny Srouji
Q.ai employs about 100 people, all of whom are expected to join Apple. The company is led by CEO Aviad Maizels, who previously founded Prime Sense, an Israeli firm Apple acquired in 2013.The recent deal, in which Apple buys Israeli AI audio startup, signals the company’s continued focus on specialized AI talent
PrimeSense technology became foundational to Face ID and the TrueDepth camera system, now central to Apple’s biometric authentication. That history adds weight to expectations that Q.ai’s work could influence future Apple hardware.
“Biology can only take us so far. Q will do the rest,” the company said in a description of its mission, suggesting a focus on augmenting human communication through computation.
Apple has increased its investment in AI across hardware and software while maintaining an emphasis on on-device processing and user privacy. The Q.ai acquisition aligns with that strategy, analysts said, by targeting specialized sensing and interpretation rather than large language models alone.
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