Deal between HPE and Juniper approved following DOJ's antitrust agreement, totaling $14 billion
In a move that significantly reshapes the enterprise tech landscape, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to acquire Juniper Networks for $14 billion. The deal, announced in early 2024, has been a major topic of discussion due to its potential impact on competition in the enterprise networking market.
The approval came on June 28, 2025, following a settlement between HPE and the DOJ to address antitrust concerns. The settlement, which clears a major regulatory hurdle, paves the way for the merger to proceed. As part of the agreement, HPE is required to divest its Instant On wireless business line to a DOJ-approved buyer within 180 days and license Juniper's Mist AIOps source code for WLAN products in a perpetual, non-exclusive manner.
The combination of HPE's Aruba Networking portfolio with Juniper's Mist-branded products creates a comprehensive suite of secure, AI-native networking solutions. This merger is expected to provide customers with modern network architecture alternatives that better support AI workloads and cloud services, changing competitive dynamics by offering innovative choices beyond legacy incumbents like Cisco. The merged entity will control approximately 22-26% of the market, with the top two firms controlling over 70%.
Post-acquisition, HPE plans to leverage the combined R&D and technology assets to accelerate innovation across networking silicon, systems, and software. The synergy aims to meet increasingly complex customer connectivity needs, facilitating faster AI transformation in hybrid cloud, service providers, and data center environments. The merger is seen as a step toward simplifying AI adoption for networking customers by offering integrated solutions that span compute, storage, networking, and software domains.
Both HPE and Juniper Networks will uphold fair pricing models for key products, and HPE has agreed to specific behavioral conditions to ensure competitive fairness post-merger. The acquisition of Juniper Networks, a major provider of AI-powered networking equipment and cybersecurity solutions, is expected to close in Q3 2025.
Regulatory approvals from international bodies are still pending in a few regions. Tech analysts see the merger as a bold bet on the future of AI-driven networking and edge-to-cloud solutions, with the potential to reshape the competitive landscape and accelerate innovation in the AI-driven solutions sector.
Investors responded positively to the announcement, with HPE shares rising slightly. The acquisition marks one of the largest tech deals of the decade, positioning HPE as a key player in the AI-driven networking and cloud infrastructure market.
[1] "HPE's $14 Billion Acquisition of Juniper Networks Clears DOJ Antitrust Hurdle," Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2025. [2] "HPE and Juniper Networks Settle DOJ Antitrust Case, Paving Way for Merger," Reuters, June 28, 2025. [3] "HPE-Juniper Merger: What it Means for the Enterprise Networking Market," TechCrunch, June 28, 2025.
- The merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Juniper Networks, following the settlement with the DOJ, will accelerate technology innovation in networking silicon, systems, and software, as HPE plans to leverage the combined R&D assets to meet increasingly complex customer connectivity needs.
- The combination of HPE's Aruba Networking portfolio with Juniper's Mist-branded products will create a comprehensive suite of secure, AI-native networking solutions, providing customers with modern network architecture alternatives that better support AI workloads and cloud services, changing competitive dynamics in the AI-driven networking sector.
