Thanks to some investigation by TechCrunch, Burlington-based Nuance Communication’s stock has reached a new high at $22.93 a share. According to numerous sources, Apple’s new, huge and yet-to-be-officially-opened data center in North Carolina will in fact host Nuance’s technology.

In mid-February 2010 you may recall rumors circling that Apple was about to acquire Nuance. The reason: Nuance’s leading voice recognition technology. Apple initially relied on Google Voice to power it’s voice technology, but that was before Android was released and started taking off. Google owns this technology in house, and with voice core to the future of mobile and better usability, it is no surprise that analysts believe Apple will want to own and control the technology in house — especially so developers can easily build off that technology.

The rumors last year stemmed from an interview with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who mistakenly mentioned Nuance as having been acquired by Apple. The blogosphere went wild at the time. Although the rumors were ultimately false, the activity drove Nuance’s stock price to a 52 week high in a matter of hours. Yesterday and into today rumors are circling again around these two companies, again working to drive Nuance’s stock to another new record high.

TechCrunch has been following the two companies closely, reporting that Apple has engaged in “months of tense negotiations” with Nuance that will ensure it can “build on top of the technology.” Nuance holds a trove of voice related patents that they defend pretty ruthlessly, and those in the industry also note that Nuance and Google have the bulk of talent in the voice space. Moreover, at this time last year Apple acquired virtual assistant startup Siri for a reported $200 million. Siri is powered by Nuance’s technology.

Whether it is a deep partnership or something more, we will have to wait until the first week of June. This is when Apple holds its Worldwide Developer Conference and where it will announce iOS 5 features and services.

Again, while all reports point to renewing and deepening their partnership, we can’t help but wonder along with TechCrunch if Nuance (with its portfolio of communications products, including those aimed at industrial sectors like healthcare and auto) is a major acquisition target for Apple (with its $60 billion in cash reserves). Nuance’s stock has gained over 22% over the course of the last year, with its market cap currently sitting at a pretty $6.5 billion.

Here are some great reads related to the potential deeper partnership and rumors, including links to how the investment community is reacting:

We have written about the power of voice in transforming search among other mobile functions. For some fantastic background and a backdrop we recommend you read this piece, authored by an up and coming innovator here in Boston in the voice space, Vlingo.

You can read more stories on Boston startups, technology and innovation at https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno