Deals

News that Google is purchasing artificial intelligence company DeepMind for between $500 million and $650 million surfaced Monday. Google spokesperson Tim Drinan confirmed the deal but declined to provide further details. The first commercial applications of DeepMind, which was founded in 2011, are ...

Microsoft on Monday announced that it had reached a deal with Epic Games to acquire all the rights to existing and future installments in the action franchise Gears of War. Microsoft also will acquire the rights to all entertainment experiences and merchandise for the popular third-person science fi...

Lenovo has struck a deal to acquire IBM's x86 server business. The deal, jointly announced Thursday, covers System x; BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches; x86-based Flex integrated systems; NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and related software; blade networking; and maintenance ope...

VMware on Wednesday announced it is acquiring enterprise mobile management and security solutions provider AirWatch. The deal, which is expected to close later this quarter subject to the usual regulatory approvals and closing conditions, will expand VMware's reach into the mobile space. AirWatch ha...

Verizon will be acquiring the assets of Intel Media, the developer of the OnCue Cloud TV platform, the companies announced Monday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Verizon noted it hopes to keep in house most of the unit's 350-strong workforce and management team. These assets will allo...

Nest CEO Tony Fadell took on one of the many lingering questions about Google's $3.2 billion acquisition of the company: What will become of its privacy policy? Any changes to Nest's privacy policy will be opt-in, and the company will be "transparent" about those changes to its users, Fadell promise...

Microsoft and GoDaddy on Tuesday announced they were partnering to market Microsoft's Office 365 to GoDaddy's 12 million small business users. GoDaddy's small business users can attach Office 365 to a domain name and get access to cloud storage and Microsoft's productivity suite. 24/7 live customer ...

Charter Communications is pursuing the acquisition of Time Warner Cable, but it seems unable to offer a price the cable giant can accept. Now, with its third offer made and spurned, the dialogue between the two companies has gone public and become somewhat nasty in tone. Charter on Monday offered to...

Google on Monday announced that it has acquired Nest for $3.2 billion. The deal could help Google make significant inroads into the smart home market. Since its 2010 inception, Nest has been developing a line of smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as thermostats that adjust to househo...

Facebook on Monday announced its acquisition of Branch, which it plans to use in a new unit or product called "Facebook Conversations." Branch's model mimics an Internet forum in that the users create "branches" to discuss topics. Links are shared and friends are invited to participate. Participants...

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has charted the course for her company's future, and the focus is more on media than technology. She revealed a number of new products and digital magazines during her keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas with a number of guests turning up to help make...

In partnership with Nvidia and several automakers, Google on Monday announced the creation of the Open Automotive Alliance, an effort designed to further its push into the automobile industry. Audi, General Motors, Honda and Hyundai are among the effort's partners on the automotive side. The allianc...

SoftBank is considering a bid for T-Mobile USA, according to a new batch of rumors circulating in the press. Softbank shares were down 3.2 percent on Monday by the close of trading in Tokyo. SoftBank acquired Sprint, the third-largest U.S. mobile phone carrier, earlier this year, and now may be stud...

Yahoo has purchased SkyPhrase with the intention of enabling computers to deeply understand natural language and intentions. "Yahoo uses Bing for their search engine, so it's unclear why they would buy a natural language technology for search because they can use Microsoft's technology," said Rob En...

Akamai Technologies is buying Prolexic, which offers protection against distributed denial of service attacks. The deal, which is expected to close in the first half of 2014, will cost Akamai about $370 million in cash plus the assumption of outstanding unvested options to purchase Prolexic stock. "...