Google has acquired smart home company Nest for $3.2 billion

Google has entered into an agreement to acquire the company behind the smart thermostat and smoke detector, Nest. Recently we heard Nest had went in for another round of funding, but it looks like Google stepping with a $3.2 billion bid to acquire the smart home startup.

CEO of Google, Larry Page, said “They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now—thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe” and is happy to be working together to make amazing products in the future.

For now, Nest will stay independent from Google and start working with the company on smart home appliances. Google has been wriggling around in smart home and smart device technology, currently developing the self-driving car and Google Glass.

Nest wants to be more invest in homes and the smoke detector and thermostat are just the beginning, with rumors about a burglar alarm and other smart home products. Google may be interested in building the software behind Nest products, but we wonder how Google intends to make money off this project, apart from the obvious hardware sale.

Google has had a strong relationship with Nest for a few years now, the two co-founders of Google both find the technology interesting and Google has been a big funding partner when Nest needed it, this time it looks like Google wanted the technology for themselves.

At CES this week there have been tons of “smart home” products that have been unveiled, showing how everything from a fridge to a fork can be smart. Nest still seems to stand out as one of the only companies that have vision of what a home needs to be smart, not gimmicky.

The question is what Google intends to do with the Nest purchase, the company are obviously still needing financial help – we wonder if Google are looking to speed up their smart products and make new development strides to further incorporate Google tech in the homes and lives of people.