HPE looking to acquire Juniper to boost AI solutions

On January 8, 2024, the Wall Street Journal announced that Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) was on the verge of acquiring Juniper Networks for 13 billion dollars (11.9 billion euros). HPE is a server specialist, and product of the 2015 split in Hewlett Packard. The other branch, HP Inc., manages PCs and printers. Juniper is a world leader in routers and network switches, priced at 10 billion dollars (9.1 billion euros).

There is therefore a potential for collaboration between the two groups but, according to the Wall Street Journal, the main motive behind the acquisition is, for HPE, Juniper’s new AI business. Indeed, the company launched a service, Mist AI, which uses machine-learning algorithms to “maximize user experience and simplify operations in wireless and wired access and SD-WAN areas.”

The division boasts a 100% yearly growth and has crossed the billion-dollar mark in yearly sales. HPE wants to put AI at the heart of its new strategic growth model: in summer 2023, the group launched a cloud solution intended for model training and inference. Mist AI would allow the group to strengthen its capabilities in the area.