United States. Worth approximately US$200 million. Apple bought Xnor.ai, a Seattle-based company.
The acquisition, which was first reported by geekwire.com, would give Apple access to low-power artificial intelligence tools for image recognition on cameras. Xnor.ai's software allows companies to run deep learning algorithms locally on devices including smartphones and wearable devices rather than requiring these calculations to be performed in remote data centers.
In recent years, Apple has pushed to run this type of software on its devices to keep user information more private and speed up processing.
Xnor.ai ranked No. 44 on Forbes' most recent list of America's most promising AI companies. The startup made several notable breakthroughs in 2019, including developing a standalone AI chip capable of running for years on solar or a coin-sized battery, and debuting an AI-enabled device that can autonomously monitor supermarket shelves, GeekWire reports.
Some notable purchases of Apple's artificial intelligence over the years include Novauris Technologies (developer of Siri), music recognition app Shazam, autonomous technology company Drive.ai, and Spectral Edge, a startup that helps improve image quality on smartphones.
Source: Securitysales.
