Google is getting into cloud-based visual effects with its Zync acquisition

Google is acquiring Zync Inc., bolstering the internet giant’s cloud-based offerings for creative professionals. Founded in 2011, the Boston-based company’s flagship product is Zync Render, a cloud-based rendering and storage platform both 2D and 3D applications. The platform consists of scalable compute, licensing, storage and data transfer features for rendering visual effects software and files within Zync’s supported host applications. On its website, Zync touts that it builds products for smaller creative teams, but some of the results might be familiar to wider audiences. Zync’s portfolio has contributed to the production of a number of Hollywood films, including American Hustle, Looper, and Star Trek: Into Darkness. Google product manager Belwadi Srikanth noted in a blog post on Tuesday morning that most studios don’t have the necessary resources for in-house rendering or compute capacity. It looks like Mountain View wants to fill this gap.