Apple has acquired a startup in Paris that specializes in compressing artificial intelligence and computer vision technology. The deal was concluded in December and was later reported to the European Commission, according to a report by the French business magazine Challenge.

The report said that the acquisition represents a major investment by Apple, which acquired a 100% stake in the company that was founded seven years ago by brothers Xavier and Lucas Fisher. However, the specific amount of the agreement was not disclosed.

Before the acquisition, the company had between 10 and 20 employees, and described itself as an “expert in low-power, runtime efficiency, and deep learning algorithms,” running on the device.

Datakalab is said to have several patents related to AI compression and vision technology. Although the startup's founders did not join Apple, several other employees made the jump.

Despite predictions of Apple including AI features in iOS 18 that can be used offline and on-device, this news comes ahead of its anticipated release later in the year.

The acquisition is also expected to play a role in the further development of Apple Vision Pro, which was launched earlier this year. The startup's advanced facial recognition technology could also contribute to improving Apple's photo and Face ID features.

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