Nvidia in talks to buy Israel’s AI21 Labs for up to $3bn – report

Core Viewpoint - Nvidia is in advanced discussions to acquire Israeli AI start-up AI21 Labs for up to $3 billion, focusing on expanding its AI workforce rather than technology acquisition [1][2]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition could be structured as an acquihire, with an implied cost of $10 million to $15 million per employee, as AI21 employs around 200 people with advanced qualifications in AI [2]. - If completed, this would be Nvidia's fourth major deal in Israel and its second largest after the acquisition of Mellanox [3]. Group 2: Company Background - AI21 Labs was founded in 2017 by Amnon Shashua, Yoav Shoham, and Uri Goshen, with Shoham and Goshen serving as co-CEOs [3]. - A funding round in 2023 valued AI21 at $1.4 billion, with participation from Nvidia and Google [3]. Group 3: Business Challenges and Focus - AI21 has struggled to keep pace with leading AI firms and ceased development of its Wordtune product line in April last year, shifting focus to specialized language models for corporate clients [4]. - The company aims to improve the accuracy of language models by 50% with its enterprise product, Maestro, and has introduced a new reasoning model that is faster and more efficient [5]. Group 4: Financial Performance - AI21's estimated revenue is around $50 million, significantly lower than competitors generating billions [6].