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Qualcomm bets on AI, acquires machine learning startup

The chipmaker buys Scyfer as part of a plan to bring artificial intelligence to devices, cars and machines.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
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Qualcomm wants to make devices smarter by using artificial intelligence. 

Lynn La/CNET

Qualcomm is aiming to stake a bigger claim in the artificial intelligence world.

The chipmaker announced Wednesday that it's acquiring Scyfer, a Netherlands-based machine learning startup. Scyfer has been working on AI for companies in industries such as manufacturing, health care and finance.

"We started fundamental research a decade ago, and our current products now support many AI use cases from computer vision and natural language processing to malware detection on a variety of devices," Matt Grob, Qualcomm's executive vice president of technology, said in a statement. "We are researching broader topics, such as AI for wireless connectivity, power management and photography."

Besides announcing its acquisition of Scyfer, Qualcomm also laid out its "vision for the future" on Wednesday. It said it sees a world where AI makes devices, cars and machines more intelligent. Rather than focusing on the cloud, Qualcomm wants machine learning to be possible on or off a network or Wi-Fi.

The financial details of Qualcomm's acquisition weren't disclosed.