苹果看上的公司，靠量子“邪修”给模型“瘦身”

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the rise of Multiverse Computing, a Spanish AI startup that has developed a compression technology called CompactifAI, which significantly reduces the size of AI models while maintaining performance, positioning itself as a leader in the AI efficiency race amidst growing competition from tech giants and startups alike [6][10][22]. Summary by Sections Company Background - Multiverse Computing was founded in 2019, initially focusing on quantum computing software for financial applications. It quickly gained recognition and funding, being named a "Cool Vendor" by Gartner, which is a prestigious acknowledgment in the tech innovation space [9]. - The company has completed five rounds of financing, with its valuation increasing from $108 million in 2024 to $500 million in 2025, making it one of the largest AI startups in Spain [6][8]. Technology Development - The company pivoted to AI model compression in 2023, leveraging its expertise in quantum tensor networks to address the rising computational costs associated with large AI models. This led to the development of CompactifAI, which can compress model sizes by 80-95% with minimal performance loss [10][13]. - The newly launched models, "SuperFly" and "ChickBrain," are touted as the smallest and highest-performing models, with SuperFly having 94 million parameters and ChickBrain having 3.2 billion parameters [15][17]. Market Position and Competition - Multiverse's technology has attracted interest from major hardware companies like Apple, Samsung, and Sony, aiming to integrate its small models into next-generation devices. This aligns with Apple's strategy to prioritize lightweight local models over large, general-purpose models [22]. - The competitive landscape is intensifying, with tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft also entering the small model space, alongside startups like Neural Magic and Deci, all targeting improved AI performance and cost efficiency [21][23]. Business Model and Applications - Multiverse offers three commercial service models: API access to compressed models, private deployment licenses, and model compression services for clients. Its primary customers include large internet and software companies utilizing AI for various applications [17][18]. - The CompactifAI technology allows for significant cost savings in AI deployment, reducing inference costs by 50-80% and enabling models to run on less powerful hardware, thus broadening accessibility [20][17].