Apple Offers Free AI Infrastructure for Small Developers

Apple announced a new initiative at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The company aims to attract new and small developers to its platform by reducing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure costs. Now, developers in the App Store with fewer than 2 million first-time downloads can use the Foundation Models service running on the Private Cloud Compute system without paying Cloud API fees. According to Techcrunch.com reports .

Company representatives stated that this step helps ensure privacy when using advanced intelligent systems and removes financial barriers to implementing ideas. This approach is similar to Apple's previously launched Small Business Program. Under that program, commission rates were also reduced for small business representatives whose revenue was not yet high.

Additionally, Apple announced that the capabilities of the Foundation Models framework will expand this year, including the addition of image input and server model support functions. This allows developers to integrate with their chosen cloud model providers for complex tasks. Apple aims to make this process as easy and affordable as possible.

This strategy is being implemented at a time when experimentation costs in the AI industry are rising sharply. For example, tech giants like Meta and Amazon have already introduced limits on the use of internal AI tokens. Uber announced that it had exhausted its AI budget, planned until 2026, in just four months. Apple is offering its models as a cheaper alternative by waiving infrastructure fees.