Broadcom’s $69 billion VMware purchase wins UK competition watchdog’s approval

LONDON (AP) — Computer chip and software maker Broadcom’s $69 billion plan to buy cloud technology company VMware has cleared another hurdle after Britain’s competition regulator gave the deal provisional clearance. The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that its investigation found the deal “would not substantially reduce competition” in the supply of hardware components for computer servers in the U.K. It said the deal also would be unlikely to harm innovation. The European Commission, which is the EU’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, cleared the deal last week after Broadcom made concessions to address its concerns about competition.