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After Anthropic backs out, Amazon reportedly in talks to acquire startup Decart, eyeing AI chip-switching software
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- DeepHorus
On October 12, IT Home, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported that Amazon is in negotiations to acquire artificial intelligence startup Decart, with a potential valuation of about $7 billion, equivalent to approximately 46.948 billion yuan. People familiar with the matter said that if the negotiations proceed smoothly and no new bidder emerges, the deal could be reached soon. Decart is headquartered in San Francisco and focuses on cross-chip adaptation software.
Decart's core capability is helping developers seamlessly switch between different AI chips. As major technology giants compete for computing resources, this underlying software capability is becoming increasingly critical. Against the backdrop of increasingly complex AI chip supply and computing power scheduling, the direction Decart focuses on has attracted market attention.
On the funding side, data from research firm PitchBook shows that Decart had previously raised more than $400 million cumulatively from well-known venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, and Radical Ventures, equivalent to approximately 2.683 billion yuan. In a funding round in May this year, its valuation was already close to $4 billion, equivalent to approximately 26.827 billion yuan. This valuation still has a clear gap compared with the potential valuation in Amazon's current negotiations.
It is worth noting that Decart is not entering the acquisition sights of a large AI company for the first time. Bloomberg reported in August that Anthropic had negotiated to acquire Decart, with a transaction amount of about $6 billion, equivalent to approximately 40.241 billion yuan. In September this year, it was reported that Anthropic had abandoned the acquisition of Decart. This change has made Amazon's negotiations attract more attention.
From an industry impact perspective, the value of cross-chip adaptation software is rising. Technology companies hope to reduce dependence on a single AI chip supplier and flexibly schedule across different computing power platforms. If Decart is acquired by Amazon, it may further change the competitive landscape of the AI chip software ecosystem. However, the transaction still faces uncertainty, and new bidders may emerge.
If the deal is completed, Amazon will gain Decart's cross-chip adaptation software capabilities. The potential $7 billion valuation also shows that the market's emphasis on underlying AI software capabilities is increasing. However, people familiar with the matter stressed that the negotiations may not ultimately succeed, and the transaction still depends on subsequent developments.
At present, whether the transaction can be completed depends on the progress of negotiations and whether new bidders emerge. The Wall Street Journal report said that if all goes well, the deal could be reached soon. The market will continue to watch the follow-up actions of Amazon, Decart, and potential bidders. Competition in the field of AI chip switching software may also heat up as a result.
