NEW YORK — Dell is buying data storage company EMC for $67 billion in a huge bet on a segment of technology that has proven to be more profitable than the slumping personal computer market.

The acquisition announced Monday marks Dell’s latest attempt to lessen its dependence on the PC industry that it helped pioneer as demand for desktop and laptop machines weakens amid the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets.

The price makes this the largest deal ever between two technology companies, eclipsing Avago Technologies’ proposed $37 billion acquisition of rival chipmaker Broadcom announced five months ago.

The Dell-EMC union is an illustration of how older tech companies are scrambling to adapt to the upheaval unleashed by Apple’s introduction of the iPhone eight years ago and the advent of digital services that are hosted in remote data centers so they can be reac hed by any Internet-connected device.

Since going private in a $25 billion deal completed in 2013, Dell has been investing in research and development and expanding its software and services business as those in the industry continue to struggle with soft PC sales.

EMC meanwhile has been shifting from a provider of data storage hardware such as on-premise data centers to offering a more comprehensive suite of products to businesses, from cloud storage to security offerings. EMC has been facing tough competition in the storage sector as companies including Amazon, Microsoft and IBM have stepped up cloud storage offerings.

Dell, started by Michael Dell in 1984 when he was just a teenager, went on to change the PC business with low costs, customized orders and direct sales.