ARM eyes up imaging technology with £242m deal for Apical
British tech company and Apple supplier ARM has snapped up an imaging technology company in a multimillion pound deal.
It's adding expertise in the tech which can recognise what's in images and videos with the acquisition of Apical for £242m.
ARM said it will strengthen the firm's expertise in areas such as automated vehicles, robotics, smart cities, the Internet of Things and more, as well as adding to its existing smartphone and camera products.
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Image sensing technology is becoming increasingly important in the development of more intelligent technology such as driverless cars, which must be able to recognise the world around them and understand the difference between other cars, pedestrians and buildings, for example.
"Computer vision is in the early stages of development and the world of devices powered by this exciting technology can only grow from here," Chief executive, Simon Segars, said.
"The partnership is solving the technical challenges of next generation products such as driverless cars and sophisticated security systems. These solutions rely on the creation of dedicated image computing solutions and Apical's technologies will play a crucial role in their delivery."
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Apical is based in Loughborough and was founded in 2002 mainly focusing on research and development. It employs 100 people and its technology is used in many smartphones.
Shares in ARM edged slightly higher in early trading following news of the deal. Shares were up nearly one per cent to 936.5 pence per share in mid-morning trading.