UK-based artificial intelligence firm SwiftKey has
been acquired by Microsoft, the company has confirmed.
The Financial Times reports the deal is worth
$250m (£174m).
The company said it was a "milestone" in
its history.
"Our mission is to enhance interaction
between people and technology. We think these are a perfect match, and we
believe joining Microsoft is the right next stage in our journey," said
SwiftKey's founders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock in a blog post.
The company, started by the Cambridge University
graduates in 2008, is the latest UK artificial intelligence (AI) firm to be
bought up by a US tech giant.
DeepMind - which began within the University of
Oxford - was bought by Google in 2014, for £400m. Another firm, VocalIQ, was
bought recently by Apple.
As well as the popular smartphone app, SwiftKey is
known for being behind the computer software on Prof Stephen Hawking's
wheelchair.
The deal furthers Microsoft's new mobile strategy,
spearheaded by chief executive Satya Nadella.
Instead of focusing on hardware - where the
company has a tiny share of the market with its Windows Phone range - the firm
is now looking to build up a range of productivity software to be used on any
kind of device.
Source: BBC
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