Google has announced an agreement to acquire a portion of HTC’s extended reality (XR) business for $250 million, marking a significant expansion of its efforts in the virtual and augmented reality hardware space. This move follows the recent launch of Google’s Android XR platform.
The deal includes the transfer of some of HTC VIVE’s engineering staff to Google, as well as the granting of non-exclusive intellectual property rights, according to the Taiwanese company. Despite the transfer, HTC will retain the rights to use and further develop the technology. This transaction represents the second major collaboration between Google and HTC, following Google’s $1.1 billion acquisition of HTC’s smartphone unit in 2017.
Google stated that this acquisition will accelerate the development of its Android XR platform, which is designed to support a range of devices including headsets and glasses. The acquisition comes at a time when major tech companies are fiercely competing to establish a foothold in the XR technology market, with Apple and Meta currently leading the virtual reality sector.
Both Google and HTC have expressed interest in exploring additional collaboration opportunities in the future.
