According to Geekwire, Apple has acquired a Seattle artificial intelligence startup, Xnor.ai, at a cost in the $200 million USD range:
Apple has acquired Xnor.ai, a Seattle startup specializing in low-power, edge-based artificial intelligence tools, sources with knowledge of the deal told GeekWire.
The acquisition echoes Apple’s high-profile purchase of Seattle AI startup Turi in 2016. Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources said Apple paid an amount similar to what was paid for Turi, in the range of $200 million.
Geekwire says “a Jan. 8 corporate filing with authorities in Delaware, reporting a merger transaction involving Xnor.ai, backed up what we heard from sources about an acquisition.”
Xnor.ai specializes in on-device artificial intelligence. The company’s YouTube channel demonstrates what its technology can do, such as the following video demonstrating how AI models can be powered battery-free with a simple solar cell:
