Apple is preparing to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence, signaling a strategic shift that could include building more data centers or acquiring a major AI player, an uncharacteristic move for the traditionally cautious tech giant.

Speaking after the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook said Apple is open to mergers and acquisitions that would accelerate its AI roadmap. While the company has acquired seven smaller firms this year, Cook suggested larger deals could be on the table.

“We’re not stuck on a certain size,” Cook said. “We ask ourselves whether a company can help us accelerate our roadmap—and if they do, we’re interested.”

The move comes as Apple struggles to keep pace with rivals like Microsoft and Google, whose AI-powered tools have attracted hundreds of millions of users. That growth has come at enormous cost—Google plans to spend $85 billion over the next year on AI infrastructure, while Microsoft is expected to spend over $100 billion, primarily on data centers.

Apple, by contrast, has largely relied on third-party cloud providers and focused on building its AI tools internally, including upgrades to Siri and a partnership with OpenAI. However, Siri’s next major update has been delayed until 2025, highlighting the challenges of Apple’s in-house approach.

Apple is also planning to boost its typically modest data center investments. While Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh declined to specify exact figures, he acknowledged spending would “grow substantially” in connection with AI development.

The company is reportedly exploring AI enhancements to its Safari browser and has been linked to talks about acquiring AI search startup Perplexity, though that has not been independently confirmed.