Microsoft acquires Siri creator Nuance for $19.7 billion
Microsoft confirmed its acquisition of Nuance in an all-cash transaction valued at $19.7 billion.
Nuance is one of the world’s most recognisable AI companies for the creation of Siri, the voice assistant that would later go on to become Apple’s first-party solution.
Nuance now focuses its efforts predominantly on enterprise communications, particularly in the healthcare space which has seen increased interest amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Using technology from Nuance, medical staff can reduce their reliance on pen-and-paper and free up more time for improving patient outcomes.
Nuance delivers Microsoft a more mature set of AI solutions in areas such as speech recognition, document processing, fraud detection, and image recognition.
Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft said “Together, with our partner ecosystem, we will put advanced AI solutions into the hands of professionals everywhere to drive better decision-making and create more meaningful connections, as we accelerate growth of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Nuance.”
Starlink’s India entry under scrutiny of DoT
Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service could be coming to India, but even before it establishes connectivity within the country, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has put it under scrutiny.
The news of DoT scrutiny comes soon after industry lobby group Broadband India Forum (BIF) opposed Starlink’s India launch. BIF represents industry giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Bharti Airtel-UK government-owned OneWeb. the department is evaluating whether Starlink violates the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Satellite Communication (SatCom) Policy of India, 2000. Earlier this week, OneWeb and Starlink’s satellites nearly crashed into each other in orbit, according to reports.
OneWeb, co-owned by Bharti Global and the UK government, is a direct competitor to Starlink. OneWeb is a London based company and has plans to launch 648 satellites, in comparison to Starlink which currently has 1,200 satellites in orbit.
