Nuance, IBM Establish Agreement To Advance Speech Solutions

Nuance Communications and IBM have entered into a licencing and technical services agreement to enhance and expand innovative speech solutions designed to better serve enterprises, consumers, carriers, and partners worldwide.

With the objective of advancing customer access to speech innovation, Nuance and IBM technologists will co-operate to incorporate IBM technology into Nuance’s speech solutions. Nuance expects the first integrated speech innovations combining Nuance and IBM technologies to be available within two years. IBM will continue to serve its own customers. In a second component of the agreement, Nuance will purchase speech-related patents from IBM.

“IBM and Nuance share a vision to proliferate advanced speech capabilities across a broad range of devices and environments,” said Dr John E Kelly III, senior vice president and director, IBM Research. “We believe this technology agreement will accelerate the delivery of speech innovations to consumers.”

“We are enthusiastic about this strategic relationship with IBM, which will help us to accelerate the creation and adoption of next-generation speech solutions,” said Paul Ricci, chairman and CEO, Nuance. “Through this relationship, we expect to inspire a new level of technical advancement unprecedented in the speech industry from which the customers and partners of both companies will benefit.”