Google has acquired video and special-effects startup Zync Render as part of efforts to intensify competition against Amazon’s cloud-computing business.
The start-up behind fiction movies ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and ‘Looper’, facilitates movie studios to deliver their visual effects in the cloud.
Currently operated via Amazon cloud services, the latest acquisition would force Zync’s Hollywood clients to switch to Google Cloud Platform from Amazon.
Google product manager Belwadi Srikanth said: "Creating amazing special effects requires a skilled team of visual artists and designers, backed by a highly powerful infrastructure to render scenes.
"Many studios, however, don’t have the resources or desire to create an in-house rendering farm, or they need to burst past their existing capacity.
"Together Zync + Cloud Platform will offer studios the rendering performance and capacity they need, while helping them manage costs.
"We’re excited they’re joining us. We’ll have more details to share in the coming months — stay tuned!"
Established in 2011, the Boston-based start-up’s platform comprises scalable compute, licensing, storage and data transfer features that enable rendering visual effects software and files in host applications supported by Zync’s.
Google’s move comes after Amazon’s latest acquisition of major online gaming channel Twitch.tv for $970m.
