# Nvidia acquires Hugging Face in $12.93bn deal

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nvidia-is-buying-hugging-face-for-almost-13-billion/
- Published: 2026-09-04T02:37:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-04T08:44:21+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/tech/985474/nvidia-buying-hugging-face-deal
- Topics: AI, Software, Space, Technology

## Key points

- Nvidia has finalised its $12.93bn purchase of Hugging Face.
- Huang pledges platform stays open, no Nvidia hardware requirement.
- Deal secures Nvidia's foothold as rivals build their own AI chips.

## Summary

Nvidia has confirmed a $12.93 billion (roughly £10.2bn) deal to acquire Hugging Face, the widely used open-source platform for AI models, datasets and developer tools, bringing weeks of speculation about its future ownership to a close. Chief executive Jensen Huang said Hugging Face would "remain an open platform for the entire AI ecosystem", stressing that developers would still be free to choose their own models, frameworks, clouds and computing platforms without needing Nvidia hardware. The acquisition gives Nvidia a strategic foothold in open-source AI at a time when rivals such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google are developing their own chips to challenge its dominance in AI hardware.

Founded in 2016 and often likened to "GitHub for AI", Hugging Face was last officially valued at $4.5 billion following a 2023 funding round in which Nvidia itself took part; it reportedly turned down a $500 million Nvidia investment last year that would have valued it at $7 billion, partly over concerns about a single dominant investor. Reports of a possible sale first emerged on 23 August, when Business Insider said Hugging Face was working with a bank to explore a $13 billion sale, and further reports days later suggested a roughly $12.9 billion agreement with Nvidia had already been struck. Despite generating only around $150 million in annualised revenue, the deal underlines the vast financial firepower of Nvidia, now the world's most valuable public company, as it seeks to safeguard its position at the centre of the AI industry.

## Coverage

- [The Verge: Nvidia acquires Hugging Face in $12.93bn deal](https://www.theverge.com/tech/985474/nvidia-buying-hugging-face-deal)
- [Engadget: NVIDIA is buying Hugging Face for $12.93 billion](https://www.engadget.com/2250197/nvidia-buys-hugging-face/)
- [TechCrunch: Nvidia confirms it will buy Hugging Face for $12.9 billion](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/03/nvidia-confirms-it-will-buy-hugging-face-for-12-9-billion/)
- [Wired: Nvidia’s Hugging Face Acquisition Is a $12.9 Billion Bet on Open-Source AI](https://www.wired.com/story/nvidias-hugging-face-acquisition-is-a-dollar129-billion-bet-on-open-source-ai/)
- [Variety: AI Giant Nvidia to Buy Hugging Face for $12.9 Billion](https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/nvidia-acquires-hugging-face-12-9-billion-1236850349/)
- [The Register: Nvidia buys Hugging Face for $12.9B, promises not to squeeze too hard](https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/09/03/nvidia-buys-hugging-face-for-129b-promises-not-to-squeeze-too-hard/5294208)
- [The Guardian: Nvidia to buy developer platform Hugging Face in $12.9bn deal](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/03/nvidia-to-buy-hugging-face-in-129bn-deal)
- [The Hill: Nvidia acquires Hugging Face in push for open-source technology](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/6068386-nvidia-acquires-hugging-face/)
- [BBC Technology: Nvidia strikes $12.9bn deal to buy AI platform Hugging Face](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr4vnr5g1k7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [Ars Technica: Nvidia buys Hugging Face, the GitHub of AI, for $13 billion](https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/09/nvidia-buys-hugging-face-the-github-of-ai-for-13-billion/)
- [The Register: Hugging Face is too important to fall into Nvidia's hands](https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/09/03/hugging-face-is-too-important-to-fall-into-nvidias-hands/5294363)
- [The Register: Hugging Face CEO says 'planets aligned' for Nvidia deal, aims to reach 100M users](https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/09/03/hugging-face-ceo-says-planets-aligned-for-nvidia-deal-aims-to-reach-100m-users/5294293)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.