Apple Buys Barcelona-based Vilynx to Enhance its AI Technology

Apple bought a Barcelona-based startup called Vilynx Inc., specializing in advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technology, to improve its own apps and services.

According to Bloomsberg, the deal was completed for about $50 million. Moreover, about 50 of the startup’s engineers and data scientists will stay at Apple, including Vilynx’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Elisenda Bou-Balust. Apple will also keep Vilynx’s Barcelona office and transform it into one of its main AI research and development centers in Europe.

Vilynx’s technology uses AI to analyze a video’s visual, audio and text content to understand the video’s content and create tags for the video, making it searchable.

This new AI technology can be potentially used to boost Siri, Apple’s digital assistant, and its search results. Apple could also use it to make videos more searchable in its Photos App and improve its recommendation engine for the TV and News apps to show more relevant content to users.

Apple is known for buying smaller technology companies from time to time to improve its AI and machine learning technology. The Vilynx deal adds to the growing list of AI companies owned by Apple. In 2020 alone, Apple has acquired Xnor.ai, Inductiv and Voysis to boost its artificial intelligence efforts.