Media: Google to invest $200 million in AI startup

Google is in talks to invest at least $200 million in Cohere, an AI startup developing natural language processing solutions. The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to a person familiar with the publication, Cohere has also held talks with chipmaker Nvidia about potential strategic investments. Contacts between representatives of the two companies are ongoing, the sources said.

Google and Nvidia declined to comment. The startup also did not respond to requests from journalists.

Cohere was founded in 2019 and is based in Toronto. The company builds software for natural language processing that developers can use to create business applications such as chatbots or voice assistants.

In November 2021, Cohere announced a multi-year partnership with Google. The tech giant provided the startup with access to cloud resources needed to train AI models.

Earlier reports indicated a potential multi-million-dollar deal between Microsoft and OpenAI. The companies have been collaborating for many years.

According to experts, forthcoming investments by tech giants in startups and independent AI labs signal intensifying competition in the field.

Earlier in October, the authorities of Texas filed a lawsuit against Google over the collection and use of users’ biometric data without consent.

In September, the tech giant announced plans to update the engine for text-to-speech Speech Services on Android devices.

In the same month, Google halved the experimental unit Area 120 and redirected the group toward AI projects.

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