Apple's Ambitious Project Titan Terminated: Report

Bloomberg has reported the official termination of Apple's ambitious, Project Titan, known as their codename for an autonomous electric vehicle. For nearly a decade, Apple had been working on this advanced electric autonomous car under the Project Titan moniker, but the project was plagued with problems, shifting objectives, and turnover among senior management.

In 2021, the project's lead, Doug Fields, left for a senior executive position at Ford. Following his departure, the project was managed by Kevin Lynch, the Vice President of Apple Watch, with the involvement of John Giannandrea, Apple's AI chief, and Jeff Williams, the company's Chief Operating Officer. According to the report, Apple's COO, Jeff Williams, and Kevin Lynch conducted a 12-minute town hall meeting to announce the project's discontinuation to a team of 2,000 employees.

It's been reported that many of these employees will be reassigned to John Giannandrea's team, which is focused on generative AI projects. However, it's expected that there will be significant layoffs, particularly among those who were recruited from automotive companies. Apple is anticipated to make significant advancements in generative AI this year, with the technology becoming a core feature of iOS 18 and eventually appearing in macOS next year. Apple is also developing silicon that will be optimised to run these generative AI models on device, with zero latency, and complete privacy.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Apple's board had pressured CEO Tim Cook to expedite the Apple Car project and demonstrate results, given the billions invested in what Cook himself had dubbed the "mother of all AI projects." Reports indicated that Apple had postponed the electric car's launch until 2028 and had scaled back its ambitions for a fully autonomous vehicle due to technical difficulties.

While the company expanded its autonomous car fleet testing considerably, it struggled to find partners willing to assist in the car's manufacture. Despite negotiations with major Japanese and Korean car manufacturers, none were willing to accept Apple's terms. The company also faced challenges in finding a battery manufacturer.

Apple's desire for complete control over the project led to clashes with the automotive industry's established practices. The company even considered acquiring electric autonomous car startups like Canoo.