Uber has acquired Belgian data labeling startup Segments.ai for an undisclosed amount, as part of its push into the AI training space. The Y Combinator-backed platform helps engineers annotate objects in videos and LiDAR sensors to serve as training data for autonomous driving.
Uber’s data labeling efforts were originally a function of its core business, but it has recently been selling these services to companies developing self-driving technologies around the world, Bloomberg reported. Data labeling, traditionally outsourced to gig workers, could be a big business for Uber, turning it into an AI services provider beyond a ride-sharing and delivery company.
In other acquisitions news, BlackRock is reportedly nearing a deal to purchase data center builder Aligned Data Centers for a whopping $40 billion, as demand for the facilities that power AI skyrockets. The reports highlight the accelerating consolidation in AI, as the world’s biggest companies race for an advantage.