EU regulators to decide on $14 billion HP-Juniper deal by Aug. 1
FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Hewlett Packard Enterprise logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by Aug. 1 whether to clear Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of networking gear maker Juniper Networks, a filing on the European Commission website showed on Friday.
The deal announced in January would boost HPE's artificial intelligence (AI) products and double its networking business, underscoring the push by numerous companies to make AI their next big growth driver.
The European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, could clear the deal with or without demanding concessions after its preliminary review or open a full-scale investigation.
HPE is expected to point to market leader and Juniper rival Cisco to ease any EU competition concerns.
The UK competition watchdog is also examining the deal, with a decision due by Aug. 14.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Jason Neely)