Apple has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli artificial intelligence startup specialising in advanced audio and machine learning technologies, the company announced on Thursday, January 29. While Apple did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition, the deal was valued at about $1.6 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The acquisition highlights Apple’s continued focus on strengthening its AI-driven audio, speech recognition and sensing capabilities, particularly for use in consumer devices such as iPhones, AirPods and future hardware platforms.
Apple said that Q.ai has worked on new applications of machine learning to help devices understand whispered speech and to enhance audio in challenging environments. These capabilities are increasingly important as voice interaction becomes more central to personal devices, wearables and assistive technologies.
Although Apple did not specify exactly how Q.ai’s technology will be integrated into its products, the focus on speech clarity, environmental noise handling and subtle audio signals aligns closely with Apple’s broader AI and hardware roadmap.
Apple did not disclose the official terms of the acquisition. However, the deal valued the startup at about $1.6 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Q.ai was backed by several prominent venture capital firms, including:
Matter Venture Partners
Kleiner Perkins
Spark Capital
Exor
GV (formerly Google Ventures)
The acquisition represents one of Apple’s larger AI-focused purchases in recent years.
Last year, Q.ai filed a patent application describing technology that uses “facial skin micromovements” to:
Detect words mouthed or spoken
Identify a person
Assess emotions
Measure heart rate, respiration rate and other indicators
Such technology could have wide-ranging applications in health monitoring, accessibility features, secure authentication and hands-free computing, areas where Apple has steadily expanded its investments.
As part of the acquisition, Q.ai’s 100 employees, including CEO Aviad Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya, will join Apple.
Maizels has a long history with Apple. He previously founded three-dimensional sensing firm PrimeSense, which Apple acquired in 2013. The PrimeSense acquisition later played a key role in Apple’s shift from fingerprint sensors to facial recognition technology on iPhones.
In a statement, Aviad Maizels said:
"Joining Apple opens extraordinary possibilities for pushing boundaries and realizing the full potential of what we’ve created, and we’re thrilled to bring these experiences to people everywhere.”
Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, also commented on the acquisition, saying:
"Q.ai is a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning,"
"We’re thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s to come.”
Apple has been steadily adding AI-powered features across its hardware lineup. In AirPods, the company recently introduced technology that allows earbuds to translate speech between languages, underscoring Apple’s interest in real-time audio intelligence.
Q.ai’s expertise in whispered speech detection, audio enhancement and biometric sensing could significantly enhance future AirPods, iPhones and wearable devices, particularly in noisy environments or privacy-sensitive use cases.
The acquisition of Q.ai reinforces Apple’s long-term approach of acquiring specialised AI startups and deeply integrating their technology into hardware, rather than relying solely on cloud-based AI services.
By combining on-device machine learning, advanced sensors and custom silicon, Apple aims to deliver AI features that are privacy-focused, energy-efficient and tightly integrated with its ecosystem.