In AI race, Apple Inc hands baton to B'luru graduate Amar Subramanya

Apple has hired Bengaluru-born AI expert Amar Subramanya as its new AI vice-president, signalling a major push to accelerate its machine learning and foundation model ambitions as leadership shifts

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Apple has appointed Amar Subramanya, a Bengaluru-born AI researcher and engineer with deep roots in both Google and Microsoft, as its new vice-president of artificial intelligence (AI), a move signalling the tech giant’s push to catch up in the fast-evolving AI landscape. 

Subramanya will report to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice-president of software engineering, and take the reins of Apple’s AI operations, including foundation models, machine learning research, and AI safety and evaluation. 

The appointment comes as John Giannandrea, Apple’s senior vice-president for machine learning and AI Strategy, prepares to step down, transitioning to an advisory role before retiring in spring 2026. Other segments of Giannandrea’s organisation will move under Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue to better align with Apple’s broader strategy. 

Apple’s move is widely seen as an effort to accelerate its AI ambitions, as rivals surge ahead with large-scale models and consumer-facing AI innovations. “This moment marks an exciting new chapter as Apple strengthens its commitment to shaping the future of AI for users everywhere,” the company said in a statement. 

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, underscored that message. “AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple,” he stated, adding, Federighi has already spearheaded initiatives to deliver a more personalised Siri experience next year. 

Subramanya brings a formidable AI pedigree. He joined Apple after a brief but notable stint as corporate vice-president of AI at Microsoft. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Google, rising to vice-president of engineering and leading work on Gemini Assistant while holding a senior role at DeepMind. “His deep expertise in both AI and ML research and in integrating that research into products will be key to Apple’s ongoing innovation,” the company noted. 

A graduate of Bengaluru University in electrical, electronics, and communications engineering, Subramanya earned his PhD from the University of Washington. His career includes a short tenure at IBM before joining Microsoft as an intern in 2005. At Google, he began as a staff research scientist in 2009, ultimately leading Gemini’s engineering efforts and contributing to DeepMind’s AI research. 

Subramanya’s swift move from Microsoft to Apple underscores the escalating AI talent war among the world’s largest tech firms, with top researchers commanding packages reportedly exceeding $10 million annually. 

In the big league 

Amar Subramanya’s education and career track:

• BE, electrical, electronics, and communications engineering, Bengaluru University (2001)
• PhD, University of Washington (2009)
• IBM, software engineer (10 months)
• Microsoft, intern (2005–2006)
• Google, staff research scientist (2009), V-P engineering (2019), head of Gemini AI Assistant
• Microsoft, corporate V-P, AI (July 2025)
• Apple, V-P, AI (December 2025)