Update (12/04/2021): Microsoft Microsoft reportedly wants to buy Siri’s AI partner firm Nuance for $16B today that it bought Nuance for $19.7 billion in an all-cash deal. The company said that this acquisition will help it bolster its AI offerings in healthcare, cloud, and office collaboration space. You can read more about the announcementhere.
Previous headline: Microsoft reportedly wants to buy Siri’s AI partner firm Nuance for $16B
New week, new Microsoft acquisition chatter. After reports of the tech giantacquiring gaming-focused communication platform Discordfor more than $10 billion, rumors of it chasing speech AI companyNuancehave emerged.
According to a report fromBloomberg, Microsoft wants to buy the AI firm for $16 billion. The Seattle-based tech giant is ready to pay $56 per share — that’s more than 20% higher than Nuance’s last closing of $45.22.
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ACNBCreport noted that Microsoft made the first approach in December, and a deal could be announced any time this week. If the deal is finalized, this will beMicrosoft’s second-biggestacquisition after LinkedIn ($24 billion).
While Nuance focuses a lot on enterprise communications involving healthcare and customer engagement, its claim to fame ishelping Apple make Siri betterthrough analytics. Over the years, with the help of the AI firm, the iPhone maker has prepared the digital assistant for contextual conversations and requests.
Microsoft and Nuance havecollaborated previouslyin projects such as helping doctors create a transcription of patient visits and recall medical records or prescribed medicine through voice commands. Plus, the AI firm’s repository ofmore than 3,000 patentswill be attractive for Microsoft.
Microsoft’s interest in AI speech comes at an interesting time. Earlier this month, the firmremoved Cortana apps— its own voice assistant — from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Given this step, there’s a slim chance the tech giant is acquiring Nuance to develop a consumer-facing digital assistant.Rather, Microsoft might want it to help develop more focused enterprise AI solutions in areas such as healthcare.
Story byIvan Mehta
Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.“Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.”
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