Apple Acquires AI Company Lattice Data, a Specialist in Unstructured “Dark” Data
In a move that highlights Apple’s focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, the company has acquired Lattice Data, a startup specializing in extracting value from unstructured “dark” data. The acquisition, which was finalized a few weeks ago, brings around 20 engineers to Apple. While the exact acquisition cost is not publicly disclosed, a source familiar with the deal suggests Apple paid approximately $200 million.
Lattice Data was founded in 2015 and has remained largely under the radar. The company’s technology, based on the Stanford University-developed system DeepDive, leverages AI-powered inference engines to convert unstructured data into structured, more usable information. This “dark data” constitutes a significant percentage of the world’s data, often remaining inaccessible due to its lack of organization. Lattice Data’s technology aims to unlock the potential of this vast resource.
With a team comprised of experts from Stanford University, University of Michigan, and Google, Lattice Data has gained recognition for its contributions to various fields. The company’s technology has been employed in areas like international policing, medical research, and paleontology. Its potential to help train AI systems by creating more organized datasets further underscores its relevance in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
While Apple has not revealed its plans for Lattice Data’s technology, industry insiders believe the acquisition supports Apple’s efforts to enhance its AI capabilities, particularly in areas like virtual assistants like Siri.
