Dell Is Said to Be in Talks to Acquire EMC - The New York Times

Which would also mean acquiring 80% ownership of (and 98% of the voting shares in) VMware

"Dell Inc. is in advanced talks to buy EMC, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday, potentially uniting two stalwarts of the technology industry as each faces pressure to revive its business prospects.

A deal would involve mostly cash, some of these people said. An agreement could be reached within a week, although these people also cautioned that talks were continuing and might still fall apart.

A takeover of EMC would answer years of questions about the fate of the 36-year-old company, which has grown from data storage into a collection of businesses, including network security and content management for corporate clients."

Dell Is Said to Be in Talks to Acquire EMC - The New York Times