Apple Acquires Turkish Startup Kuzu to Boost On-Device AI and Privacy Capabilities

U.S. tech titan Apple has acquired Kuzu, a graph database startup founded by Turkish academicians, aiming to accelerate on-device artificial intelligence processing and enhance privacy-focused data handling on its Apple Silicon-powered devices.

According to the European Commission’s acquisitions registry, the deal was completed under an agreement signed in October 2025, though financial terms remain undisclosed, pointing to a smaller acquisition.

Founded in 2023 by Semih Salihoglu, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Waterloo, Kuzu was built by a small team of engineers and researchers to develop faster tools for managing complex data relationships.

The startup created an embedded graph database architecture capable of processing connections across billions of data points within milliseconds using modern algorithms, removing the need for separate database servers.

The technology originated from academic research aimed at designing more efficient systems to handle graph-structured data.

Apple aims to use Kuzu’s database capabilities to strengthen the responsiveness and intelligence of its artificial intelligence assistants while improving privacy-focused on-device processing, according to Apple Insider.

Unlike conventional database systems, Kuzu’s embedded design allows direct integration with Apple Silicon processors, enabling data to be analyzed locally on devices instead of being sent to cloud servers.

This structure supports faster data handling while reducing reliance on external infrastructure.

The company also offers Kuzu Explorer,a database tool designed to improve query speed, scalability, and ease of use.

The acquisition is expected to support Apple’s broader efforts to make AI features more intuitive and efficient without relying heavily on cloud-based computing.…Read more by BT Team