GoKawiilNvidia to acquire Hugging Face for $13 billion, its largest deal ever
Nvidia has agreed to purchase AI model repository Hugging Face for $13 billion, a huge jump from the $7 billion valuation the startup rejected from Nvidia just last year to stay independent. The chipmaker says the acquisition will accelerate adoption of open-weight AI models, which let developers download and customize systems rather than rely on proprietary offerings from firms like OpenAI and Anthropic. The deal, expected to close by 2027, surpasses Nvidia's 2020 purchase of Mellanox as its biggest acquisition to date.
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The purchase hands Nvidia direct control over one of the AI industry's most widely used distribution hubs for models and datasets, deepening its influence beyond hardware into the software ecosystem that drives demand for its chips. It also signals Nvidia's continued push to shape how AI develops industry-wide through massive investments and acquisitions, a strategy likely to draw close attention from antitrust regulators given Nvidia's dominant market position.
- Nvidia's $13 billion deal for Hugging Face is its largest acquisition ever, dwarfing the 2020 Mellanox purchase.
- Hugging Face previously turned down Nvidia investment at a $7 billion valuation to remain independent.
- The acquisition gives Nvidia greater influence over open-weight AI models and faces likely regulatory scrutiny before closing by 2027.
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See NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super Developer Kit on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Nvidia buys Hugging Face, the GitHub of AI, for $13 billion”
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