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Nvidia's $6B Poolside deal to build open-weight AI model, sources say

#nvidia#poolside#open-weight-ai#licensing-deal

Sources report that Nvidia has struck a non-exclusive $6 billion licensing deal with AI startup Poolside, plus a $1 billion investment at a $12 billion pre-money valuation, with 109 Poolside staffers receiving Nvidia job offers. Nvidia plans to use the deal to build an open-weight AI model to compete with Chinese models like DeepSeek and Kimi, aiming to foster an open AI ecosystem in the U.S.

Coverage timeline

  1. Techmeme
    Sources: Poolside struck a non-exclusive $6B licensing deal with Nvidia, plus a $1B investment at a $12B pre-money valuation; 109 staffers get Nvidia job offers (Newcomer)

    Newcomer : Sources: Poolside struck a non-exclusive $6B licensing deal with Nvidia, plus a $1B investment at a $12B pre-money valuation; 109 staffers get Nvidia job offers — EXCLUSIVE TO NEWCOMER: Poolside AI, the artificial intelligence model-building startup, has struck a non-exclusive licensing deal …

  2. Techmeme
    Sources: Nvidia plans to use its $6B deal with Poolside to build an open-weight AI model to compete with Chinese models like DeepSeek and Kimi (Robbie Whelan/Wall Street Journal)

    Robbie Whelan / Wall Street Journal : Sources: Nvidia plans to use its $6B deal with Poolside to build an open-weight AI model to compete with Chinese models like DeepSeek and Kimi — A sweeping agreement with startup Poolside aims to build an open AI ecosystem in the U.S. to compete with Chinese heavyweights and American AI giants