Nvidia’s $700 Million Run:ai Acquisition Triggers EU Red Flags Over Competition Concerns

Nvidia’s $700 million acquisition of Israeli AI firm Run:ai faces an EU regulatory review amid competition concerns in tech markets. EU regulators may require Nvidia to make concessions to secure final approval for the deal.

Nvidia's Run:ai Acquisition Faces EU Scrutiny

The European Commission stated on Thursday that U.S. chipmaker Nvidia's planned acquisition of AI startup Run:ai poses a threat to competition in the markets where both companies operate, hence the transaction must seek EU antitrust permission.

As a result of the EU antitrust enforcer's action, Nvidia may have to make some compromises in order to get the acquisition approved. Concerned that internet titans may stifle future competitors, regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have recently ramped up their examination of these purchases.

Tech Crunch reports that in April, Nvidia announced the acquisition of Israeli business Run:ai, with a price tag of approximately $700 million.

With Run:ai's tech, teams and developers can optimize and manage their AI infrastructure.

Italian Competition Agency Sparks EU Involvement

Although Nvidia did not need to seek EU approval because the deal does not satisfy the turnover requirement, the Italian competition office was informed about it and urged the EU watchdog to investigate.

Amid concerns over the deal's impact on competition, the Commission acknowledged Italy's request and issued a warning.

"The transaction threatens to significantly affect competition in the markets where NVIDIA and Run:ai are active, which are likely to be at least European Economic Area-wide and therefore include the referring country Italy," the company stated in a release.

Reuters reports that Nvidia has stated that it would be more than pleased to respond if authorities have any inquiries regarding Run: ai.

Nvidia's Commitment to AI Accessibility

"After the acquisition closes, we’ll continue to make AI available in every cloud and enterprise, and help customers select any system and software solution that works best for them," a representative from Nvidia said.

As a result of its chips' capacity to power AI applications, including training models like ChatGPT, Nvidia has experienced surging profits and revenues over the past year.