Nvidia Pays $6 Billion to License Poolside AI Software, Hires 109 Employees
NewsData.io · United States · Aug 23, 2026
Nvidia has agreed to pay $6 billion to license Poolside's Model Factory AI development platform and will extend job offers to 109 Poolside employees who worked on its open-source model, Laguna. Nvidia will also invest $1 billion in Poolside at a $12 billion pre-money valuation, with the deal structured as a licensing and talent arrangement rather than an acquisition. The move follows a similar pattern Nvidia used with Groq and Enfabrica, using hybrid licensing deals to absorb engineering talent and technology while leaving target companies intact. For staffing professionals in tech, this signals continued consolidation of AI talent into major hardware players and growing demand for engineers with AI infrastructure expertise.
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