Amazon in Talks to Buy AI Startup Decart for $7 Billion

Amazon is discussing a potential acquisition of Israeli AI startup Decart in a deal valued around $7 billion, according to reports on Sunday. The talks remain ongoing and could still fall apart, with neither company confirming the negotiations.

Decart develops software that accelerates AI models across chips from Nvidia, Google, and Amazon, making it easier for developers to switch between hardware platforms. The startup also builds its own models, including Lucy for real-time video editing and Oasis for generating interactive virtual environments.

“Decart's software makes AI models run faster on chips from Nvidia, Google and Amazon, and makes it easier for developers to switch between them.”

A purchase would support Amazon Web Services' strategy to attract more AI developers to its custom Trainium chips instead of Nvidia's dominant hardware. Nvidia's CUDA software ecosystem has long locked developers into its processors, creating a barrier for competitors.

Decart was valued at nearly $4 billion in May after raising $300 million in a funding round led by Nvidia. The reported $7 billion price would represent a significant increase in just a few months, though the startup has not disclosed its revenue.

The deal would rank among Amazon's largest acquisitions, following Whole Foods at $13.7 billion and MGM at $8.45 billion. Amazon previously bought chipmaker Annapurna Labs for $350 million in 2015, which became the foundation for its custom silicon efforts.