Amazon in Talks to Acquire AI Startup Decart for Around $7 Billion

Amazon is in talks to acquire the AI startup Decart in a deal valued at around $7 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on 11 October 2026, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions could conclude soon if they do not collapse or another bidder appears. Amazon declined to comment outside business hours. Decart did not respond to requests for comment.

Decart, founded in 2023 by three Israeli engineers—brothers Dean and Orian Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev—develops software that lets developers run AI models more efficiently across different processors. Its Decart Optimization Stack optimises neural networks for specific hardware. The company has also built world models: Lucy, which can edit live video in real time and is backed by Nvidia, and Oasis, which generates simulated environments for training robotics and autonomous systems. Decart was valued at nearly $4 billion in a May funding round that raised $300 million, led by Radical Ventures with Nvidia as a new investor. Total funding exceeds $400 million. Investors include Sequoia Capital and Benchmark.

Amazon Web Services gave Decart early access to its Trainium3 chip in 2025 after meetings with the founders. The acquisition would strengthen Amazon’s effort to offer customers alternatives to Nvidia chips. Decart’s software could make it easier for developers to move workloads between platforms, including Amazon’s custom silicon. A $7 billion price would represent roughly a 75 percent premium to the May valuation.

The talks follow the collapse of a potential deal with Anthropic. Bloomberg reported that Anthropic explored a roughly $6 billion acquisition in August but withdrew after due diligence in September. Nvidia had also shown earlier interest. For Amazon, the purchase would continue a pattern of Israeli technology acquisitions. In 2015 it bought Annapurna Labs, which became a foundation of its in-house chip business. If completed, the Decart deal would rank among Amazon’s larger recent purchases.

The negotiations remain fluid. No agreement has been signed. The premium and the strategic fit with Trainium suggest Amazon sees value in both the optimisation layer and the research team working on low-latency video and physical AI models. Whether the talks produce a transaction will depend on final terms and any competing interest that emerges in the coming days.