Microsoft’s $16 billion acquisition of Nuance subjected to EU antitrust investigation

Microsoft previously announced that it would spend US$16 billion to acquire Nuance, an artificial intelligence and voice technology company.

According to Reuters, the EU antitrust regulator announced a more in-depth investigation of the transaction, requiring customers and competitors to make a list of concerns.

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Moreover, the US Department of Justice and the Australian Competition Commission have previously stated that they will not object to the transaction. Microsoft applied to the European Commission’s Competition Bureau for approval last month, and regulators must approve the transaction or launch a larger investigation before December 21.

Regarding the Reuters news, Microsoft declined to comment, and Nuance did not respond to a request for comment. The two companies originally expected to complete the transaction before the end of this year but said last month that the time may be postponed to early next year. 

Prior to this, the two parties had already cooperated in 2019 to automate healthcare administrative tasks, such as document processing.

(VIA)