Apple to buy Intel cellular modem unit

Apple Inc. is buying Intel Corp.’s struggling cellular modem unit, bringing on key engineering talent and patents that will allow the technology giant to more quickly develop crucial components to connect its devices to the mobile internet.

The deal will give Apple 2,200 new employees and now a total holding of 17,000 wireless patents. Apple has been using Intel modems exclusively in iPhones since last year. But after having settled its long-standing royalties’ lawsuit with Qualcomm Inc. in April, it will go back to using that company’s 5G cellular modems for future versions of products like the iPhone.

Qualcomm was the first to offer such technology at a mass scale and was on track to have its second-generation chip in the market before Intel released its first. Eventually, Apple wants to shed all third-party partners and bring modem production in-house, a move that the deal with Intel should help expedite.

Apple has been working on its own modem technology for the past couple of years and has established development centers, including in San Diego, a hotbed for modem development and Qualcomm’s backyard, to support the effort. In recent months, Apple has been ramping up hiring from Intel and Qualcomm to work on 5G modems.

EY acquires C Centric

EY, the professional service brand in India had acquired C Centric, a provider of customer relationship management (CRM) solutions and services to help businesses rethink, redesign and deliver better customer experience. The acquisition strengthens EY’s commitment to support businesses in their transformation journeys by bringing a customer insight driven strategy that helps organizations look at digital from every angle and unlock the power of key disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), Analytics, Cloud among others.

With the acquisition, EY brings on board a team with extensive experience in conceptualizing and implementing CRM solutions. The C Centric team has a strong reputation in the market for delivering leading-edge CRM solutions and services across industries, particularly financial services including banking and insurance. Their addition to EY will strengthen our ability to help businesses capitalize on the digital wave and provide an end-to-end digital experience to customers.

C Centric was co-founded in 2007 in Mumbai and have a presence in three cities. It is a leading provider of 'customer-centric' software solutions offering customer experience linked consulting services, implementation, and maintenance, as well as customer, focused solutions linked to finance investments and operations. C Centric also partners with some of the world's leading providers of customer management solutions including Microsoft.

EY continues to expand its digital capabilities in India to help organizations solve their complex end-to-end business transformation challenges. With more than 2800 digital and technology professionals in EY India, the firm is well-positioned to deliver advanced digital solutions to organizations in varied functions and industries, leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, RPA, data analytics, internet of things, blockchain, and others.

L&T Infotech buys analytics firm Lymbyc

Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd, the IT services arm of infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro Ltd has signed a definitive agreement to acquire artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics company Lymbyc.

This marks L&T’s fifth acquisition since its listing in 2016. In January, the firm acquired Ruletronics, which uses the Pega platform for business process management and customer relationship management solutions. A month later, it also acquired Germany-based Nielsen Partner, which specializes in Temenos WealthSuite, an integrated software solution for wealth managers.

Founded in 2012, Lymbyc is a Bengaluru-based firm, known for its capabilities in analytics and data-sciences space. The company leverages its proprietary product Leni, a virtual analyst that allows users to conversationally access information and insights, to solve descriptive to predictive business insights, leveraging deep learning, natural language processing, data visualization, and predictive analytics. The company has customers in the US, the UK, Africa, and India.

The acquisition will complement the analytics, natural language processing and data visualization capabilities of its in-house mosaic platform, helping it improve its data discovery, analytics and ability to process large datasets, the company said. Before Lymbyc acquisition both firms had also worked as strategic partners for a year.