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Google buys London start-up DeepMind for £242m Google buys London start-up DeepMind for £242m
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Google has bought a London robotics company for a reported $400 million (£242m), its biggest ever European acquisition.Google has bought a London robotics company for a reported $400 million (£242m), its biggest ever European acquisition.
The US technology giant has reportedly spent the sum on artificial intelligence firm DeepMind, according to technology website Re/Code. Google confirmed it has bought the start-up but would not discuss price.The US technology giant has reportedly spent the sum on artificial intelligence firm DeepMind, according to technology website Re/Code. Google confirmed it has bought the start-up but would not discuss price.
DeepMind was founded in 2012 by former chess prodigy, video games designer and neuroscientist Demis Hassabis. DeepMind was founded in 2012 by former chess prodigy, video games designer and neuroscientist Demis Hassabis. The company's website describes it as a “cutting edge artificial intelligence company” combining “the best techniques from machine learning and systems neuroscience to build powerful general-purpose learning algorithms.”
The company creates algorithms that allow programmes and systems to learn from experience and DeepMind’s website says its initial commercial applications are in simulations, e-commerce and games. These algorithms allow programmes and systems to learn from experience and DeepMind’s says its initial commercial applications have been in simulations, e-commerce and games.
Hassabis worked on classic PC games including Theme Park and Black & White, on which he was a lead artificial intelligence programmer. Founder Hassabis worked on classic PC games including Theme Park and Black & White, on which he was a lead artificial intelligence programmer. The Mind Sports Olympiad (an international competition for games of mental skill) described Hassabis as "probably the best games player in history".
The acquisition is Google’s latest attempt to bolster its robotics expertise. The internet company has moved increasingly into machine-based projects such as self-driving cars in recent years and last month bought military robot company Boston Dynamics. Sources speaking to Re/Code said that although DeepMind was not a household name, it was respected in the artificial intelligence community and competed with the likes of Google and Facebook in attracting engineering talent.
The acquisition is Google’s latest move to bolster its robotics expertise as several large tech companies move into the field.
In December last year Google revealed that it had purchased eight robotic companies in the last six months, all of which will be working together under an unspecified project headed by Andy Rubin, the executive responsible for the global success of the Android operating system.
The companies purchased by Google included Boston Dynamics, a robotics maker that had several major contracts with America's Department of Defense (DoD).