Alphabet is abandoning its mineral robotic farming startup

Alphabet is abandoning its mineral robotic farming startup due to fierce industry competition and thin profit margins. According to BloombergGoogle’s parent company will license some of its agricultural technology to Driscoll’s, a berry grower that has spent the last few years working on autonomous “plant buggies.” Mineral created to study crops, soil and other environmental factors.

Bloomberg says it has obtained a memo in which Mineral announced plans to transfer its technology “to the agricultural ecosystem to maximize the impact of bringing our AI to agriculture” and confirms that “Mineral will no longer be an Alphabet company.” Licensing discussions are taking place with companies that have already partnered with Mineral, along with the Driscoll’s deal.

The mineral was transformed into an independent subsidiary last year after graduating Alphabet X Labthe experimental division that previously launched Google Glass and the Waymo self-driving car unit. Bloomberg reports that Mineral employees have spent the last few months trying to find a way to continue their work after “it became clear” that the company no longer had a future under Alphabet.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Driscoll Senior Vice President of Global Research and Development Scott Komar said Bloomberg should give Driscoll’s a perpetual license to use Mineral’s technology. “We were really disappointed that Alphabet decided to change direction,” Komar told the publication. “We really had a great partnership with the Mineral team and, from our perspective, they were just gaining takeoff altitude. And then suddenly, you know, plans changed.”