Apple Launches Core AI for On-Device 70B LLMs at WWDC 26
Updated
Updated · InfoQ.com · Jun 20
Apple Launches Core AI for On-Device 70B LLMs at WWDC 26
3 articles · Updated · InfoQ.com · Jun 20
Summary
Core AI replaces Core ML as Apple’s main framework for generative AI, giving developers a unified way to run LLMs and vision models locally across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro.
70B-parameter reasoning models are supported on Apple Silicon, with Apple pitching privacy, zero server dependence and zero per-token cloud costs as the key advantages of keeping inference on-device.
PyTorch models can be converted into Core AI models, then compressed with quantization and palettization to cut memory use, latency and power draw on Apple hardware.
Ahead-of-time compilation and hardware specialization shift setup work off the device and cache optimized models, although first-time loads can still take noticeably longer than later runs.
Apple is now splitting its AI stack into three tracks: Core ML for classic ML, Core AI for neural networks and transformers, and MLX Swift for custom weights with potentially lower performance.
Will Core AI's unmatched on-device speed create a fragmented AI world, leaving cross-platform developers behind?
Can on-device AI rival the cloud, or will your iPhone's intelligence always be a generation behind?
Is Apple's on-device AI a true privacy revolution or just a hidden tax on your next hardware upgrade?
Apple’s Core AI at WWDC 2026: The New Standard for On-Device Intelligence and Developer Innovation
Overview
At WWDC 2026, Apple unveiled Core AI, a new framework designed to power on-device large language models and generative AI across its ecosystem. Succeeding previous frameworks like Core ML, Core AI is now the foundation for Apple Intelligence, emphasizing privacy and performance by running advanced AI directly on user devices. This marks a strategic shift for Apple, showing its commitment to integrating powerful AI features while keeping user data secure. The introduction of Core AI signals a new era where Apple’s devices become smarter and more personal, all while maintaining strong privacy protections.