As Apple readies big new software announcements at WWDC 2026, the company’s powerhouse chips could be its secret weapon in the AI tech war to come.

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 alongside new software for the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro at WWDC. The event will kick off on June 8, with software updates for all of Apple’s platforms to be previewed.

It’s very likely that many of the new features that Apple announces will be powered by AI. Now, a new report suggests that Apple’s ability to run AI models locally rather than in data centers could be vital to its success.

Normally, AI queries are handled by servers in data centers, with the result then sent back to the originating device. But Apple’s in-house chips, found in devices like the iPhone, are so performant that they are able to cut out the middleman and process the query themselves.

The report, by The Information’s Aaron Tilley, cites unnamed people familiar with Apple’s WWDC plans.

A more private AI

There are a few reasons that running AI queries locally is preferred when compared to using a server-based system. The most obvious is performance, with devices no longer relying on fast networks and cellular connections.

But one aspect that Apple is likely to tout as a key feature for on-device Apple Intelligence processing is privacy. By keeping all data on a user’s iPhone, for example, that user can be confident their information isn’t being used to target ads or sell them something.

Such an approach is also cheaper for Apple. Processing AI requests on-device is free, whereas using a data center model can be incredibly costly.

Apple is reportedly using a version of Google’s large Gemini model to train a smaller version that could be capable of running on-device. The company is also reportedly ready to buy companies that have experience in models that can run locally.

With WWDC 2026 now just days away, Siri and Apple Intelligence are expected to be front and center, with the former expected to be worked into a new, more personal digital assistant.

Whatever Apple announces at WWDC, users will have to wait before they can test the new features for themselves. Apple’s software updates will undergo months of testing ahead of a likely September release window.