Microsoft is set to secure unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $16 billion bid for artificial intelligence and speech technology company Nuance Communication, reported Reuters.
The latest tech deal, Microsoft’s second biggest after its $26.2 billion LinkedIn purchase in 2016, follows heightened regulatory scrutiny of “killer acquisitions” whereby tech giants buy and shut down nascent start-ups and potential rivals.
Microsoft announced the Nuance deal, which would boost its presence in cloud services for healthcare, in April and it has already received regulatory approval in the United States and Australia, without remedies given.
Microsoft has also been in preliminary discussions with Britain’s CMA antitrust agency ahead of a formal request for approval of the Nuance deal, the sources said. The company’s request is expected to be filed in January, they added.
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