Microsoft announced this Monday (12) the purchase of the American Nuance Communications for US$ 19.7 billion. The deal strengthens the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) business for the healthcare industry, boosting its Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare offering launched last year.
In a statement , the technology giant says the transaction will be worth $56 per share, 23% above the closing value of last Friday (9). The acquisition of the speech recognition software provider is the result of the successful partnership announced in 2019 by Microsoft and Nuance.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tweeted, “AI is technology’s most important priority and health is its most urgent application. Together with Nuance, we will put advanced AI solutions in the hands of professionals to drive better decision making and create more meaningful connections.”
It is worth noting that, in addition to artificial intelligence , Nuance has a long history of developing voice control, having already provided the voice recognition engine for Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant.
The deal, subject to regulatory approval, must close by the end of the year.
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Contract with the US Army
In early April, Microsoft signed another billion-dollar contract ($21 billion), this time with the US Army, to supply augmented reality headsets . The devices should assist soldiers in mapping battlefields, selecting targets, and so they can stay alert to potential threats that are out of their field of vision.
The agreement is part of the installation of IVAS, which stands for Integrated Visual Augmentation System. It is a set of US Army investments designed to make military intelligence data more useful to combatants. These devices are known as “tactical tips” and are based, among other things, on cloud computing.
With the adoption of the project, soldiers’ decisions become faster and more accurate on battlefields that are far from the bases.