Nvidia continues acquisition streak with OctoAI

• Nvidia acquired OctoAI, making its fifth deal this year.

• Founded in 2019, OctoAI improves machine learning model performance.

• OctoAI will shut down its commercial cloud service on October 31.

Nvidia It acquired OctoAI in its fifth deal this year, making it The chip giant’s most profitable year ever. The five-year-old startup produces software to improve the performance of machine learning models.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join NVIDIA and contribute to expanding work on machine learning compilers and cloud infrastructure for AI,” OctoAI CEO Luis Ceze said on LinkedIn on Wednesday.

OctoAI was: Founded by Luis CezeHe served as Ceze CEO in 2019 with Jared Roesch, Tianqi Chen, Jason Knight and Thierry Moreau.

Ceze took on the role of VP of AI systems software at Nvidia. She also remains a professor at the University of Washington, where the initiative originated.

Machine learning compilers are software that act as translators between the model and the hardware it runs on (like Nvidia’s graphics processing units). OctoAI’s software was intended to make it easier for developers to use any AI hardware, not just hardware designed by Nvidia. OctoAI worked with Nvidia, along with AMD and AWS, prior to the acquisition.

Nvidia has compilers also designedCeze praised Nvidia’s leadership in making machine learning more accessible, he told Business Insider last year. “Nvidia has long relied on AI. They have a software maturity that no other vendor can match.” “There is a strong need for a mature and easy-to-use system software stack with custom silicon for AI,” he continued.

In March, OctoAI and Nvidia announced a partnership to optimize Nvidia’s NIM offering or Nvidia Inference MicroservicesAiming to enable companies to create their own custom AI.

OctoAI will close Commercial cloud service on October 31.

Nvidia continues to buy regulators’ review The acquisitions revolve around concerns that they could make the AI ​​hardware and, increasingly, the AI ​​software industries less competitive.

“One of the most difficult decisions as an investor and board member is weighing the benefits and risks of selling a company at a key juncture in the journey. Nvidia has made a compelling case that the impact on the OctoAI team and technology will be maximized as the market leader in AI infrastructure.” Matt McIlwain, OctoAI investor and managing director of Madrona Venture Group Posted on LinkedIn.

The Seattle-based startup has raised $130 million in funding, according to Pitchbook; most recently an $85 million Series C round led by Tiger Global Management. OctoAI’s last valuation was $900 million in 2021, according to The Information. The publication also reported that OctoAI brought in revenue in the low single digit millions last year.

Ceze did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nvidia declined to comment on the acquisition or confirm whether the entire OctoAI team will join the company.

Several OctoAI employees had updated their LinkedIn profiles to reflect their Nvidia job titles as of Thursday morning.

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