Report: Nvidia to acquire AI model repository Hugging Face for $13 billion

Nvidia is reportedly acquiring Hugging Face, a cloud repository where developers and researchers store, download, and modify open-source AI models, for approximately $13 billion. The acquisition matters because it gives Nvidia significant control over the infrastructure for open-weight AI models, which are alternatives to the proprietary closed models developed by other companies. This is strategically important for Nvidia because competing frontier labs have begun building their own specialized hardware to reduce dependence on Nvidia's chips, and owning Hugging Face may help Nvidia maintain its influence in the AI hardware market. The deal is not yet finalized, though both parties appear to be actively pursuing it, and Hugging Face was reportedly sought by other companies as well.