Intel to acquire assets from Ginger Software
As virtual assistant technology continues to be developed, some companies are working on strengthening this area of their business in order to be more competitive players in the market. These days, there are several personal assistant software platforms that operate on smart phones, offering consumers an increasing number of choices in this area.
It was announced recently that Intel has made an acquisition of assets from Ginger Software, a company based in Israel that develops tools and applications for natural language processing. It is possible the technology could be used in the creation of personal assistant software.
Ginger Software's products are designed to allow computers and mobile devices to more easily understand "the intended meaning of natural (human) language input," according to the company's website. The purchase of assets from Ginger Software is part of the company's acquisition strategy to "bolster its advanced computing and artificial intelligence holdings," as noted by TechCrunch.
"Intel acquired natural language processing tools and applications assets from Ginger. Along with the aforementioned assets, Intel also hired some Ginger engineers associated with this business," a spokesperson for Ginger Software told TechCrunch.
Through the deal, Intel will acquire talent in addition to selected assets from Ginger Software. The details of how Intel plans to use the technology were not disclosed, nor were the specific terms of the deal. As many as sixteen of Ginger Software's engineers could be hired by Intel, including the company's CEO in the personal assistant business unit.
Intel has reportedly made 57 acquisitions during the past seven years. Ginger Software's personal assistant technology could be similar to the type of technology provided by Apple's Siri, Google Now and Microsoft's Cortana, but what Intel plans to do with it remains to be seen.