According to multiple media reports, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is in advanced talks to buy Juniper Networks (JNPR) for about $13 billion U.S.
While no deal has been officially announced, media reports say the acquisition is being driven by HP Enterprise’s desire to boost its role in artificial intelligence (A.I.).
HP Enterprise specializes in cloud-computing services and hardware, while Juniper Networks focuses on a networking business.
Juniper also has its own A.I. business, known as “Mist AI,” that uses the technology to improve wireless internet access.
HP Enterprise has made clear its A.I. ambitions, recently announcing a partnership with Nvidia (NVDA) to allow businesses to customize A.I. models and launch chatbots.
The acquisition of Juniper would be the latest deal involving networking companies and their A.I. technologies.
Cisco Systems (CSCO) last year struck a $28 billion U.S. deal to buy analytics and security-software company Splunk (SPLK), saying it will help it provide A.I. security features to clients.
Juniper Networks’ stock is up 23% at $37.27 U.S. in premarket trading on news of the potential acquisition. HP Enterprise’s stock is down 11% and trading at about $15 U.S. per share.
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