Google has struck a $1.1bn deal with Taiwan's HTC to expand its smartphone business.

为拓展其智能手机业务，谷歌公司日前与台湾HTC达成了一项11亿美元的协议。

Google will not take a stake in the firm, but some HTC staff will join the Silicon¹ Valley giant.

谷歌不会持有该公司的股份，但部分HTC员工将归属于这家硅谷巨头。

The Taiwanese company was once a major player in the smartphone market but has struggled to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.

这家台湾公司曾经是智能手机市场的主要供应商，但其很难与苹果和三星这样的品牌竞争。

Google expects the deal to close by early 2018, provided it gets the all clear from regulators.

在把所有条款弄清的基础上，谷歌预计本次交易将于2018年初完成。

The deal marks the latest move by Google to boost its hardware capabilities².

本次交易标志着谷歌为提升其硬件功能所采取的最新举措。

'It's still early days for Google's hardware business,' the firm's senior vice-president of hardware Rick Osterloh said in a blog post on Google's website.

谷歌硬件高级副总裁里克·奥斯特洛在该公司网站上的一篇博文中写道：“目前谷歌的硬件业务还处于起步阶段”。

Under the deal, Google will acquire a team of people who develop Pixel smartphones for the US company and receive a non-exclusive license³ for HTC's intellectual property.

根据该协议，谷歌将获得HTC为美国公司开发Pixel智能手机的团队，同时获取HTC知识产权的非独家授权。

According to HTC half their smartphone research and development team - about 2,000 people - will go to Google.

根据HTC表示，他们智能手机研发团队的一半--大约2000人将会前往谷歌。