Nvidia(US:NVDA) Z Finance·2025-04-08 03:19Core Viewpoint - Nvidia has completed the acquisition of Lepton AI, a move aimed at enhancing its cloud and software business by integrating AI capabilities into its chip offerings [1][4]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition of Lepton AI was valued at several hundred million dollars, with approximately 20 employees at the time of the deal [1]. - Lepton AI was founded in 2023 and focuses on providing scalable AI application platforms for enterprises, supporting model development, training, and deployment [1]. - The founders of Lepton AI include former Alibaba executives, with Jia Yangqing being a notable figure known for his contributions to deep learning frameworks [1][6]. Group 2: Investment and Market Recognition - Lepton AI successfully completed its angel round of financing in May 2023, attracting investments from prominent venture capital firms such as CRV, Sequoia China, and Fusion Fund [2]. - The rapid exit of these investors within less than two years highlights the market's strong recognition of the AI infrastructure sector and Lepton AI's unique value proposition [2]. Group 3: Founders' Background - Jia Yangqing, known as the "father of Caffe," transitioned from Alibaba Cloud to start Lepton AI in March 2023, after a four-year tenure at Alibaba [3]. - The founding team of Lepton AI is recognized for their technical expertise, with co-founder Li Xiang being the creator of the key Kubernetes component etcd, and Bai Junjie having developed the ONNX framework [6][7]. - Jia Yangqing has emphasized the importance of open-source ecosystems and engineering capabilities in navigating the challenges of the AI industry, advocating for a focus on vertical market innovations [7].