EU clears Microsoft’s $19.7 billion purchase of Nuance (updated)
Microsoft is closing in on approval for its $19.7 billion acquisition of Nuance.
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Updated December 21, 2021 at 11:04 AM:The EU has granted approval of Microsoft’s purchase of Nuance (viaReuters). The original story follows.
What you need to know
Microsoft’s$19.7 billion purchase of Nuanceis set to clear yet another regulatory hurdle, according to a recent report.Reutersstates that the European Union (EU) will grant unconditional approval for the deal. This would be a major step toward finalizing the deal, which has already been approved by the United States and Australia.
Nuance specializes in artificial intelligence (AI) and speech recognition. General consumers are likely familiar with the company’s Dragon speech recognition software. Nuance also helped create Apple’s digital assistant Siri. Speech tech from Nuance is used regularly in the medical industry as well. 77% of hospitals in the United States use Nuance tech, according to the company.
The $19.7 billion purchase of Nuance is Microsoft’s second-largest deal to date, only falling short of the$26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedInin 2016.
Microsoft and Nuancefiled for approvalfrom the European Commission’s competition bureau in November 2021. That body has until December 2021 to approve the deal or open a more in-depth investigation. Both the European Commission and Microsoft declined to comment to Reuters.
While the EU will reportedly approve the deal, the acquisition also has to be cleared by the UK’s antitrust agency. Microsoft is said to be in talks with this body.
The United States and Australia have already approved Microsoft’s purchase of Nuance.
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A portion of Microsoft’s purchase — a little over $3 billion of it — covers Nuance’s debts, which brings the total value to$19.7 billion.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
