Nvidia has completed its acquisition of Run:ai, an AI software company specializing in GPU orchestration. The deal, reportedly costing around $700 million, marks Nvidia's continued push into the AI software space.
Run:ai's Role and Nvidia's Vertical Integration
Run:ai, founded in 2018, develops software to efficiently organize groups of GPUs, particularly Nvidia GPUs. This acquisition aligns with Nvidia's goal of vertical integration, complementing its dominant hardware position with software offerings. While Nvidia already possesses closed-source CUDA software, Run:ai's open-source approach will provide an interesting contrast.
Run:ai's founders, Omri Geller and Ronen Dar, stated that the company will remain true to its "open-platform philosophy" even as part of Nvidia.
"True to our open-platform philosophy, as part of NVIDIA, we will keep empowering AI teams with the freedom to choose the tools, platforms, and frameworks that best suit their needs. We will continue to strengthen our partnerships and work alongside the ecosystem to deliver a wide variety of AI solutions and platform choices."
Open Sourcing Run:ai
Geller and Dar have also pledged to open-source Run:ai's software, though specific details and timelines are yet to be revealed. This decision is notable, especially considering Nvidia’s historically closed-source approach with its CUDA software. The decision might be a condition from Run:ai or may have been influenced by regulatory scrutiny.
Future Implications
It's unclear whether Nvidia will offer additional services based on the open-source version of Run:ai. Regardless, this acquisition further solidifies Nvidia's position in the AI industry. This could also spur rivals like AMD and Intel to respond with acquisitions or partnerships of their own.
