Microsoft’s $16bn Nuance bid secures EU antitrust approval
Microsoft’s $16bn (£12bn) bid for AI company Nuance has won approval from the European Commission following an antitrust probe.
The European Commission today announced the result of an investigation which looked into possible overlaps between services provided by Nuance and tech giant Microsoft. In a statement released today the antitrust regulator said the transaction raised “no competition concerns.”
“The transaction, as notified, would not significantly reduce competition in the transcription software, cloud services, enterprise communication services, customer relationship management, productivity software and PC operating systems markets,” the Commission noted in a statement.
Nuance specialises in transcription services and artificial intelligence with the company helping Apple to develop its Siri product.
While both Nuance and prospective owner Microsoft are US based companies the UK government has said it will step in to block the deal if it is found to harm domestic markets.
Earlier this month the UK’s Competitions and Markets Authority announced its intention to investigate the merger. The watchdog has invited comments from interested parties and said it will accepted responses until 10 January.
The CMA is toughening its stance on big tech companies. Last month the UK watchdog ordered Facebook’s parent company Meta to sell Giphy a company that it bought for $400m in 2020 over concerns it could harm social media users in Britain by reducing competition between social media platforms.
Microsoft’s takeover of Nuance has already received approval from regulators in the US and Australia.
Read more: The CMA’s showdown with Facebook over Giphy foreshadows a crackdown