News/M&A
Rogers sells 9 data centers to InfraRed to reduce $26B debt
Rogers Communications has signed a definitive agreement to sell nine data centers from its Rogers Business portfolio to InfraRed Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum. The transaction represents part of Rogers' broader strategy to divest non-core assets and reduce debt, while maintaining operational control over facilities critical to its network infrastructure. What you should know: The sale involves Tier 2 and 3 data centers across key Canadian cities with a combined capacity of up to 49 MW. Rogers will retain its corporate data centers used for internal network and IT operations. The telecom giant will continue selling data center services...
read Aug 13, 2025Perplexity AI makes $34.5B bid for Chrome amid Google antitrust breakup
Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence search company, has submitted a $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google's Chrome browser, marking the first public attempt by an outside party to break up a key piece of the tech giant. The dramatic move comes as Google awaits a federal judge's decision on potential antitrust remedies, with the Department of Justice explicitly calling for Chrome's divestiture to level the playing field for search competitors. What you should know: Google faces its most significant antitrust challenge since the Microsoft case over two decades ago, with Chrome at the center of the dispute. A federal ruling...
read Aug 12, 2025New home for Chrome? Perplexity AI bids $34.5B for top browser as Google faces divestiture pressure
Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google's Chrome browser, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. The surprise offer comes as Google faces a pending antitrust ruling that could force the tech giant to divest Chrome, with the Justice Department seeking to break up Google's browser monopoly. Why this matters: The bid represents a bold move by Perplexity to acquire one of the world's most dominant web browsers, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape in search and browsing technology. The numbers: Perplexity's offer significantly exceeds its own $18 billion valuation, with the AI...
read Aug 4, 2025Amphenol acquires CommScope’s fiber unit for $10.5B as AI drives connectivity demand
Amphenol has agreed to acquire CommScope's Connectivity and Cable Solutions (CCS) business for $10.5 billion, marking the second major CommScope unit the company has purchased in under a year. The deal significantly strengthens Amphenol's position in fiber optic interconnects and data center infrastructure, particularly as AI-driven demand for high-speed connectivity continues to surge. What you should know: This acquisition builds on Amphenol's previous $2.1 billion purchase of CommScope's Andrew connectivity business in July 2024. The Andrew deal included CommScope's Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and Outdoor Wireless Networks units, which have been consolidated under the revived Andrew brand. Amphenol's experience with...
read Jul 29, 2025NiCE acquires German AI firm Cognigy for $955M in record European deal
NiCE has acquired German conversational AI company Cognigy for $955 million, marking the largest acquisition of a European AI company to date. The deal represents a significant milestone for Europe's AI sector and demonstrates investor confidence in enterprise AI solutions, particularly as venture capital investment in European AI continues to surge. What you should know: Cognigy specializes in agentic AI that delivers human-like customer service across more than 100 languages and communication channels. The company's AI agents can understand, adapt, and act in real time, serving major clients including Mercedes-Benz, Nestlé, DHL, and Lufthansa Group. NiCE, an AI-powered customer experience...
read Jul 25, 2025Wix acquires Base44 for $80M, proving no-code AI startup viability
Wix's recent $80 million acquisition of Base44, an AI startup built almost entirely without traditional software development, highlights the growing viability of no-code AI entrepreneurship. Base44 started as a solo founder using no-code tools and AI APIs to build an early prototype, eventually growing into an 8-person team that attracted enterprise-level valuations without following conventional startup playbooks or raising venture capital. The big picture: No-code AI platforms are democratizing product development by enabling non-technical creators to build, deploy, and monetize AI tools without writing code, fundamentally changing the economics of AI entrepreneurship. What you should know: This shift is creating...
read Jul 24, 2025Cognition raises $300M at $10B valuation after acquiring Windsurf
Cognition, the AI coding startup behind the Devin assistant, is in talks to raise over $300 million at a $10 billion valuation, according to five sources familiar with the deal. The funding round, backed by Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures, would more than double the company's $4 billion valuation from March and comes as Cognition announced its acquisition of rival AI coding startup Windsurf. What you should know: The potential funding represents one of the largest AI startup valuations in the competitive coding assistant market. The deal would value Cognition at $10 billion, up from its $4 billion March valuation...
read Jul 22, 2025Amazon acquires Bee’s $49.99 AI wearable for conversation tracking
Amazon is acquiring Bee, a startup that makes a $49.99 AI-powered wearable device that continuously listens to and transcribes conversations to generate daily summaries and insights. The acquisition signals Amazon's push into personal AI wearables, though the device has faced accuracy challenges in distinguishing real conversations from background media. What you should know: Bee's wearable functions like a Fitbit but focuses on audio processing rather than fitness tracking. The device transcribes conversations between users and people around them, creating personalized daily summaries, reminders, and suggestions through the Bee app. Users can grant the device access to emails, contacts, location data,...
read Jul 1, 2025DoJ approves HPE’s $14B Juniper acquisition with wireless asset divestitures
The U.S. Department of Justice has approved Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks after reaching a settlement agreement that requires significant divestitures from HPE. The deal, which strengthens HPE's position in AI infrastructure and networking, will proceed under strict conditions designed to preserve competition in the enterprise wireless LAN market. What you should know: HPE must divest key wireless networking assets and license critical software to maintain market competition. HPE will sell its Instant On WLAN campus and branch network switching business, including all related assets, intellectual property, R&D personnel, and customer relationships to a DoJ-approved buyer...
read Jul 1, 2025Grammarly acquires confidently-named “Superhuman” for $1B to build AI productivity suite
Grammarly has acquired email efficiency tool Superhuman as part of its push to build an AI-powered productivity suite and diversify beyond grammar correction. The acquisition follows Grammarly's recent $1 billion funding round from General Catalyst, providing the resources to expand into a comprehensive workplace productivity platform. Key deal details: Superhuman was valued at $825 million in 2021 and currently generates about $35 million in annual revenue. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed by either San Francisco-based company. Superhuman CEO Rahul Vohra will join Grammarly along with over 100 employees, while continuing to run the Superhuman product and brand....
read Jun 26, 2025IFS acquires theLoops to build AI agents for industrial operations
IFS has acquired Silicon Valley-based agentic AI specialist theLoops to advance what it calls "industrial AI," positioning itself as a leader in enterprise-grade AI agents designed specifically for asset-intensive industries. The acquisition represents a strategic shift from traditional enterprise software that merely tracks work to deploying functional AI agents that actually perform workplace tasks in manufacturing, energy, utilities, construction, aerospace, and defense sectors. What you should know: IFS is betting on specialized AI agents that understand industrial environments from day one, rather than generic chatbots or virtual assistants. The acquired theLoops technology will enable multi-agent environments where autonomous AI agents...
read Jun 26, 2025Uber backs Kalanick’s bid to acquire Pony AI’s US operations
Uber Technologies is in preliminary talks with founder Travis Kalanick to help fund his acquisition of the U.S. operations of Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony AI, according to a New York Times report. The potential deal would see Kalanick running Pony AI's American unit while continuing to lead his ghost kitchen company CloudKitchens, marking a significant return to the mobility sector for Uber's controversial co-founder. What you should know: The discussions remain in early stages with no financial details disclosed about the potential transaction. Kalanick would maintain dual leadership roles, overseeing both Pony AI's U.S. arm and his current venture...
read Jun 23, 2025Perplexity launches Comet browser for Windows as Apple eyes $14B acquisition
Perplexity is expanding its AI browser Comet to Windows users through a selective testing program, following its initial macOS beta launch in May. This development comes amid reports that Apple executives are considering acquiring the AI search company for what could be Apple's largest acquisition ever at $14 billion. What you should know: Comet is a Chromium-based browser that replaces traditional search engines with Perplexity AI's conversational search experience. The browser provides curated responses to queries similar to Google's AI Mode, complete with source links and product purchase options. Built-in features include an ad blocker, page summarization, and an Ask...
read Jun 23, 2025Apple reportedly considers $14B Perplexity deal to improve AI search
Apple is reportedly considering acquiring AI search startup Perplexity in what would be the iPhone maker's largest acquisition in company history. The potential $14 billion deal would give Apple access to Perplexity's AI-powered search engine and chatbot technology, which serves around 15 million users as a leading ChatGPT alternative, helping Apple accelerate development of its own search capabilities and enhance Siri's intelligence. What you should know: Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions Adrian Perica has been in early-stage discussions with top executives about a potential Perplexity offer, though no bid has been made yet. Executives from both companies have met...
read Jun 20, 2025Meta pursued Perplexity acquisition before $14.3B Scale AI deal
Meta approached AI search startup Perplexity AI about a potential acquisition before ultimately investing $14.3 billion in Scale AI, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The failed talks underscore CEO Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive strategy to strengthen Meta's AI capabilities amid intensifying competition with OpenAI and Google, as the company pursues multiple high-profile deals and talent acquisitions. What you should know: The Perplexity discussions did not result in a deal, with sources offering conflicting accounts of how the talks ended. One person familiar with the matter described the outcome as "mutually dissolved," while another said Perplexity walked away from the...
read Jun 13, 2025Tech giants spend $421B on data company mixing and merging as AI race intensifies
Data infrastructure companies have become the hottest targets in tech M&A as legacy firms like Meta, Salesforce, and ServiceNow scramble to compete in the AI race. AI software deals now account for 75% of tech M&A value this year, with generative AI spending expected to reach $644 billion in 2025—up 76.4% from 2024. The big picture: Tech deals represent one of the few bright spots in an otherwise sluggish M&A market, accounting for $421 billion of the $1.67 trillion in global deals announced in the first five months of the year. This represents about 25% of total M&A activity, up...
read Jun 11, 2025Qualcomm acquires Alphawave Semi for $2.4B to boost data center ambitions
Qualcomm has announced plans to acquire data center chip specialist Alphawave Semi for $2.4 billion, marking a significant expansion of its data center ambitions. The acquisition complements Qualcomm's recent re-entry into the custom CPU market and positions the company to compete more aggressively in AI infrastructure, following its earlier deals with Nvidia and Saudi AI firm Humain. The big picture: Qualcomm is making a serious push into the data center market after years of focusing on mobile chips, viewing it as the next frontier for diversification similar to its successful expansion into PCs. What you should know: Alphawave Semi's high-speed...
read Jun 5, 2025Anthropic blocks Windsurf’s Claude API amid OpenAI takeover rumors
Anthropic's sudden termination of Windsurf's access to Claude 3.x models creates significant disruption amid OpenAI's reported acquisition plans. This competitive clash between major AI companies highlights the strategic importance of model access in the rapidly consolidating AI tools market, where partnerships and acquisitions increasingly determine which companies can leverage the most powerful AI capabilities. The big picture: Anthropic has cut off Windsurf's direct access to Claude 3.x models with less than five days' notice, creating service disruptions as OpenAI reportedly moves to acquire the AI coding platform for $3 billion. Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan announced the restriction on Tuesday via...
read May 22, 2025OpenAI’s secret AI device heads to mass production in 2027
OpenAI and Jony Ive's mysterious AI device is targeted for mass production in 2027, according to respected supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The collaboration between the AI research powerhouse and Apple's former design chief has ambitious manufacturing plans, with The Wall Street Journal reporting an intended production run of 100 million units. This wearable device represents a significant hardware play in the emerging consumer AI market, though its exact functionality remains largely shrouded in secrecy. The big picture: The AI wearable is currently designed as a compact, elegant device meant to be worn around the neck, drawing design inspiration from...
read May 21, 2025OpenAI acquires Jony Ive’s AI hardware firm io
OpenAI's acquisition of Jony Ive's hardware company io marks a significant strategic move into the physical device market, potentially redefining how consumers interact with AI technology. The $6.5 billion deal brings 55 engineers from Ive's team to OpenAI while establishing LoveFrom as the design authority for all OpenAI products—signaling the AI company's ambition to create entirely new hardware categories rather than simply competing with existing smartphones. The big picture: OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware company founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion. The acquisition brings approximately 55 hardware engineers, software...
read May 19, 2025Dover bolsters data center offerings with Germany’s Sikora purchase
Dover is expanding its data center technology portfolio through a strategic acquisition targeting AI computing infrastructure growth. The company's $622 million purchase of Germany's Sikora adds specialized capabilities in measuring cable parameters for data centers—a market experiencing sustained demand despite economic uncertainty. This acquisition aligns with industry trends showing continued investment in AI computing infrastructure, as evidenced by other players like Eaton maintaining strong growth projections in this sector. The big picture: Dover is strengthening its position in the data center infrastructure market by acquiring Sikora for $622 million in cash, adding specialized measurement systems for data center cables. Sikora...
read May 19, 2025Zayo moves to the frontlines of AI infrastructure with major fiber expansion
Zayo's acquisition of Crown Castle's fiber assets represents a transformative step in digital infrastructure that extends far beyond simple corporate consolidation. As high-bandwidth demands for AI, edge computing, and next-generation connectivity accelerate, this strategic move positions Zayo to significantly expand its metro network footprint while strengthening critical AI corridors across North America. The acquisition underscores the growing importance of robust fiber networks as the foundation for nearly every major technological advancement on the horizon. The big picture: Zayo Group's acquisition of Crown Castle's fiber assets dramatically expands the company's network reach and positions it as a central player in the...
read May 11, 2025Microsoft eyes OpenAI investment for future IPO, FT reports
OpenAI and Microsoft are navigating a critical restructuring of their partnership that has far-reaching implications for both companies' AI ambitions. The renegotiation centers around enabling OpenAI's potential IPO while securing Microsoft's long-term access to leading AI technologies beyond their current agreement. This high-stakes deal revision reflects the evolving dynamics in AI as OpenAI seeks greater independence while Microsoft aims to protect its massive investment and technological advantage in the competitive AI landscape. The big picture: OpenAI and Microsoft are reworking their multibillion-dollar partnership terms to accommodate OpenAI's future IPO plans while ensuring Microsoft maintains access to cutting-edge AI models. Key...
read May 6, 2025OpenAI to acquire Windsurf for $3 billion, reports say
OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf for approximately $3 billion represents a significant expansion into AI-assisted coding tools, potentially strengthening ChatGPT's coding capabilities amid increasing competition. This deal, reported by Bloomberg News but not yet closed, would mark OpenAI's largest acquisition to date and comes as Windsurf (formerly Codeium) has been rapidly increasing in valuation, having reached $1.25 billion last August after a funding round led by General Catalyst. The big picture: OpenAI has reportedly agreed to acquire AI coding tool Windsurf for approximately $3 billion, according to Bloomberg News sources familiar with the matter. The deal has not yet closed and...
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