The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung Electronics is in talks to acquire speech-recognition company Nuance, the company responsible for the speech and dictation recognition algorithms that power Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri. No word as yet on whether a deal has been reached.
WSJ, via MacRumors:
The Burlington, Mass., company has recently spoken about a possible sale of the company with Samsung Electronics Co. and private-equity firms, some of the people said. It isn’t clear where sale talks, some of which happened earlier this year, currently stand or if they will lead to a deal.
Nuance, well known for its speech recognition and dictation software – including Dragon NaturallySpeaking – has formed multiple partnerships with companies such as Amazon, and has also released an API for developers. The company is best known, however, for its dealings with Apple, as its speech and dictation recognition algorithms power Siri.
It isn’t clear what impact a Nuance acquisition would have on its dealings with Apple. A 2013 report suggested that Apple was working to move Siri development in-house, away from partner Nuance. Apple has a dedicated Siri team in Boston that may be working on a voice recognition solution just in case Apple’s partnership with Nuance is terminated.
