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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nvidia acquired OctoAI, marking its fifth deal this year.</li><li>OctoAI, founded in 2019, enhances machine learning model performance.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-competition-sambanova-groq-cerebras-show-faster-inference-speed-2024-9">Nvidia</a> has acquired OctoAI in its fifth deal this year, making it the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-mergers-and-acquisition-startup-buying-spree-ftc-investigation-2024-8">chip giant's most acquisitive year yet</a>. The five-year-old startup creates software to improve the performance of machine learning models."I couldn't be more excited to join NVIDIA and contribute to expanding efforts in ML compilers and cloud infrastructure for AI," OctoAI CEO Luis Ceze posted on LinkedIn Wednesday.OctoAI was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/octoml-madrona-venture-group-seattle-turi-2019-10">founded by Luis Ceze</a>, Jared Roesch, Tianqi Chen, Jason Knight, and Thierry Moreau in 2019, with Ceze as CEO.Ceze has assumed the role of VP of AI systems software at Nvidia. He also remains a professor at the University of Washington, where the startup originated.Machine learning compilers are software that act as translators between the model and the hardware it runs on — like Nvidia's graphics processing units. OctoAI's software was intended to make it easier for developers to use any AI hardware, not just hardware designed by Nvidia. OctoAI worked with Nvidia prior to the acquisition, along with AMD and AWS.Nvidia has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-nvidia-cloud-ai-anthropic-2023-10">designed compilers too</a>, and Ceze has praised Nvidia's leadership in making machine learning more accessible."Nvidia has been betting on AI for a long time. They have a level of software maturity that no other provider can match," Ceze told Business Insider last year. "With custom silicon for AI, there's a strong need for a mature and easy-to-use system software stack," he continued.In March, OctoAI and Nvidia announced a partnership to optimize Nvidia's NIM offering, or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://octo.ai/blog/octoai-collaborates-with-nvidia-nim-to-bring-optimized-generative-ai-to-enterprises/">Nvidia Inference Microservices</a>, which aims to allow companies to create their own custom AI.OctoAI will <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matbonet_really-sad-to-hear-that-octoai-winds-down-activity-7244736313986359296-2Q7e?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop">shut down</a> its commercial cloud service on October 31.Nvidia continues to receive <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-mergers-and-acquisition-startup-buying-spree-ftc-investigation-2024-8">scrutiny from regulators</a> around its acquisitions out of concern that they may make AI hardware and, increasingly AI software industries less competitive."One of the hardest judgment calls as an investor and board member is to assess the benefits and risks of selling a company at a key inflection point in the journey. Nvidia made a compelling case that the impact for the OctoAI team and technology would be maximized within the market leader for AI infrastructure," Matt McIlwain, OctoAI investor and managing director of Madrona Venture Group <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7244934163785510912/">posted to LinkedIn.</a>The Seattle-based startup raised $130 million in funding, according to Pitchbook — most recently an $85 million Series C round led by Tiger Global Management. OctoAI's most recent valuation was $900 million in 2021, according to The Information. The publication also reported that OctoAI brought in revenue in the low single-digit millions last year.Ceze did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nvidia declined to comment on the acquisition or confirm if the entire OctoAI team would join the company.Several OctoAI employees had already updated their LinkedIn profiles to reflect Nvidia job titles as of Thursday morning.Got a tip or an insight to share? Contact Senior Reporter Emma Cosgrove at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:ecosgrove@businessinsider.com">ecosgrove@businessinsider.com</a> or use the secure messaging app Signal: 443-333-9088

Nvidia continues acquisition streak with OctoAI

Global M&A market dropped by 15%, the lowest in a decade!

New Delhi: The decision of the <keyword id="20330004" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defence-Acquisition-Council" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Defence Acquisition Council" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Defence Acquisition Council">Defence Acquisition Council</keyword> (DAC) to accept 10 <keyword id="22515789" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="capital-acquisition" source="keywords">capital acquisition</keyword> proposals worth Rs 1.4 trn will not only boost <keyword id="23034601" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="domestic-defence-manufacturing" source="keywords">domestic defence manufacturing</keyword> but will contribute to the growth of the <keyword id="20362868" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PSU-companies" source="keywords">PSU companies</keyword> in the defence sector, highlighted a report by Antique Stock Broking. The report noted that the growth of domestic defence manufacturing in the country has picked up significantly over the last few years and is expected to grow further in the future. It added that the government's focus on enhancing domestic capabilities is evident from its initiatives in FY24, where Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) was accorded to proposals worth approximately Rs 3.61 trillion under various capital procurement categories. These initiatives are in line with the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which strongly promotes domestic manufacturing. "The government, in FY24, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to proposals worth approximately INR 3.61 trn under various categories of capital procurement, which promotes domestic manufacturing as per DAP-2020" said the report. A significant milestone highlighted in the report is the remarkable increase in the share of domestic procurement in India's defence sector. The share has improved from 54 per cent in FY19 to 75 per cent in FY24. The report noted that this trend is expected to strengthen further, driven by the fact that more than 99 per cent of the announced proposals are to be sourced from the domestic industry under the "Buy (Indian)" and "Buy (Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured)" categories. "The total share of domestic procurement has seen a phenomenal improvement from 54% in FY19 to 75% in FY24 and is expected to improve further. The report stated that the DAC's (Defence Acquisition Council) approval of proposals worth Rs 1.45 trillion is aimed at enhancing the operational capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. The report further emphasizes that with Rs 1.45 trillion worth of projects already approved in the year-to-date FY25, the <keyword id="20994345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="defence-PSUs" source="keywords">defence PSUs</keyword> are poised for strong growth in the near to long term. "With approval for Rs 1.45 trn worth of projects in YTDFY25, we believe defence PSUs have strong growth opportunities in the near to long term" the report added. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 10 capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 1,44,716 crore. Of the total cost of AoNs, 99 per cent is from Indigenous sources under the Buy (Indian) and Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) categories, the Ministry of Defence stated. For the modernisation of the tank fleet of the Indian Army, the proposal for procurement of Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) has been cleared. The FRCV will be a futuristic Main Battle Tank with superior mobility, all-terrain ability, multilayered protections, precision and lethal fires over and real-time situational awareness, the release stated. The AoN was also accorded for procurement of Air Defence Fire Control Radars, which will detect and track aerial targets and provide firing solutions. The proposal has also been approved for Forward Repair Team (Tracked) which has suitable cross-country mobility for carrying out in-situ repair during mechanised operations.

DAC capital acquisition of Rs 1.4 trn to boost defence PSUs: Report

Mumbai: Food delivery company <keyword id="19901323" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zomato" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Zomato" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> has completed the <keyword id="19901090" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="acquisition" source="keywords">acquisition</keyword> of <keyword id="19898109" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paytm" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Paytm" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Paytm">Paytm</keyword> subsidiaries WEPL and OTPL for the <keyword id="19922574" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="entertainment" source="keywords">entertainment</keyword> <keyword id="20028334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ticketing" source="keywords">ticketing</keyword> business, the company said in its filing with the exchanges. On August 21, the Deepinder Goyal-led company entered into definitive agreements for the acquisition of Paytm's entertainment arms. In its stock exchange filing on August 21, Noida-based Paytm had also confirmed the development. The deal, valued at Rs 2,048 crores on a cash-free, debt-free basis, stands "as a testament to the value" Paytm has created through its entertainment ticketing business, bringing choice and convenience to millions of Indians with its services and scale, the company said in a release filed with exchanges. As part of this agreement, OCL will transfer its entertainment ticketing business to Zomato by transferring OCL's entertainment ticketing business to its 100 per cent subsidiaries, Orbgen Technologies Pvt Limited (OTPL) and Wasteland Entertainment Pvt Ltd (WEPL) and selling a 100 per cent stake in its subsidiaries OTPL and WEPL, which operate the TicketNew and Insider platforms, respectively to Zomato. As per the information provided by the fintech, about 280 existing employees from the entertainment ticketing business will be part of Zomato. Paytm had said that the company wants to focus on the payments and financial services distribution segment. During a transition period (up to 12 months), the movie and event tickets will continue to be available on the Paytm app, as well as on the TicketNew and Insider platforms, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted experience for users and merchant partners. As per Paytm, the company built movie ticketing from the ground up and acquired TicketNew and Insider for a total consideration of Rs 268 crores from 2017 to 2018. Further, additional investments were also made to scale up the business. On Wednesday, after the announcement, the stocks of Zomato opened in green at Rs 256.20. The company in the past six months has delivered a 60 per cent reward to its shareholders. (ANI)

Zomato completes acquisition of Paytm's entertainment and ticketing business

New Delhi: After two <keyword id="19945688" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="acquisitions" source="keywords">acquisitions</keyword> this year, India's second-largest IT services company <keyword id="19906778" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Infosys" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Infosys" meta.hostid="268" meta.entityid="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> is on the lookout to scoop-up more firms and says the acquisition matching scale of recent in-tech buy is certainly a possibility. In an interview to PTI, <keyword id="24144" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infosys-ceo" source="Orion">Infosys CEO</keyword> <keyword id="20115570" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salil-parekh" source="keywords">Salil Parekh</keyword> said the company is keen on acquisitions in areas like data analytics, SAAS, and may look at some geographies within Europe, and the US. Asked if more acquisitions could be of the scale matching in-tech, which came with a price-tag of 450 million euros, <keyword id="20039787" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="parekh" source="keywords">Parekh</keyword> said, "Absolutely, I think those would be the size that we will look at in terms of scale, and given our structure we could do a few of those." Back in January, Infosys announced a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the equity share capital in InSemi Technology Services, a semiconductor design services company headquartered in India, for a consideration (including earn-outs, and management incentives and retention bonuses) totalling up to Rs 280 crore. A bigger acquisition followed in three months. In April, Infosys Germany, a wholly-owned step-down subsidiary, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the equity share capital in in-tech Holding -- leading provider of engineering R&amp;D services headquartered in Germany -- for a consideration of up to 450 million euros (about Rs 4,045 crore). "We have very good business in engineering services already within Infosys and then we did those two acquisitions, both of them in engineering services, one on semiconductor side and one on the automotive side... very strong businesses, and we feel quite good about expanding that footprint," Parekh said. Infosys is eyeing more acquisitions, he said, adding that the company is evaluating several firms. "We have a good balance sheet and good cash generation and now we are quite comfortable with the integration of acquisition in different areas. We have done engineering services, we will look at other areas... for example data analytics... may look at SAAS (software as a service) areas, and maybe at some other geographies in Europe, maybe the US as well," he said. Parekh, however, said a lot depends on strategic synergies, financial cost, cultural fit and integration aspects. "We are continuing to look, and we have things that are normally in the pipeline but those take their own time... there are a lot of discussions on strategic fit, on financial cost of it and cultural fit into the company and then how will we integrate them. Many of those discussions are ongoing and we will see what comes out," the Infosys top honcho said. On whether he is hopeful of closing more acquisitions this fiscal year, Parekh indicated that it is tough to put a timeline on the outcome of ongoing discussions. "It is difficult to say... we are evaluating several (of them). But to get a fit on the strategic parameters, financial parameters, culture, integration... all of it may not work out. But these two (InSemi and in-tech) happened relatively quickly... before that for some quarters we had not done anything. It is not a predictable thing, but the evaluation is ongoing," he said. According to the Grant Thornton Bharat Dealtracker Q2 2024 report, Indian dealmaking saw overall 501 deals, valued at USD 21.4 billion. The report said the second quarter of 2024 witnessed the highest quarterly volumes since the second quarter of 2022, while values declined due to the absence of big-ticket merger and acquisition transactions. Grant Thornton Bharat Dealtracker further said the merger and acquisition (M&amp;A) activity during the second quarter saw 132 deals worth USD 6.2 billion, marking a slight increase in volumes but a substantial 50 per cent drop in values. As per the report, domestic deals drove growth with volumes rising 29 per cent and values increasing 2.5 times compared to the first quarter of the current year. In contrast, cross-border deals experienced a decline, with volumes decreasing 24 per cent and values plummeting 85 per cent from the first quarter of 2024.

Infosys is keen on more acquisitions, says CEO Salil Parekh

<keyword id="21465981" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blackstone-owned" source="keywords">Blackstone-owned</keyword> <keyword id="22889483" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diamond-grading-firm" source="keywords">diamond grading firm</keyword> <keyword id="22889482" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="International-Gemmological-Institute" source="keywords">International Gemmological Institute</keyword> (India) Ltd, has filed preliminary papers with capital markets regulator Sebi to float Rs 4,000 crore through an <keyword id="19913114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="initial-public-offering" source="keywords">initial public offering</keyword> (<keyword id="19898327" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPO" source="keywords">IPO</keyword>). The initial share-sale is a combination of a fresh issue of <keyword id="20035340" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="equity-shares" source="keywords">equity shares</keyword> worth Rs 1,250 crore and an Offer-For-Sale (OFS) valued at Rs 2,750 crore by promoter BCP Asia II TopCo Pte Ltd, an affiliate of <keyword id="20144468" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="blackstone" source="keywords">Blackstone</keyword>, according to the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP). The company proposes to utilize the proceeds from the fresh issue for the <keyword id="19901090" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="acquisition" source="keywords">acquisition</keyword> of IGI Belgium Group and IGI Netherlands Group from promoter and general corporate purposes. <keyword id="22889482" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="International-Gemmological-Institute" source="keywords">International Gemmological Institute</keyword> (India) Ltd provides services related to the certification and accreditation of natural diamonds, laboratory grown diamonds, <keyword id="21702345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="studded-jewellery" source="keywords">studded jewellery</keyword> and coloured stones. IGI is the world's second largest independent certification and accreditation services provider based on revenue for CY2023 among global peers for diamonds, <keyword id="21702345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="studded-jewellery" source="keywords">studded jewellery</keyword> and coloured stones certifications, with a global market share of approximately 33 per cent, according to the Redseer Report. Axis Capital, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Morgan Stanley India Company and SBI Capital Markets are the book running lead managers to the issue.

Blackstone-owned International Gemmological Institute files for Rs 4,000-cr IPO

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Romania is urging NATO to react to Russian missile and drone incursions into its airspace.</li><li>The Romanian Defense Minister called for a "robust, coordinated response" from the alliance.</li></ul>Romania is taking strategic steps to bolster its defenses amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, accelerating its acquisition of ammunition and calling on NATO to react to Russian incursions into its airspace.Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) said this week that Russia's aggressive moves in the region had forced it to reassess and tweak its military acquisition efforts to strengthen its defensive capabilities, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/romania-to-boost-ammunition-acquisition-amid-border-war/">Euractiv</a> reported.In a statement, the CSAT said that changes would include "the increased acquisition of combat ammunition and the gradual build-up of strategic reserves," per Euractiv.It comes as Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr urged <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nato">NATO</a> to carry out "robust, coordinated" responses to Russian missile and drone incursions into Romania's airspace.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Tîlvăr <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-must-react-russian-incursions-into-its-airspace-romania-says-2024-09-18/">said</a>: "B9 states are profoundly concerned about the repeated incursions of Russia's drones and missiles in NATO air space, in Poland, Romania, Latvia, as well as escalating tensions along NATO's eastern flank.""That is why a robust, coordinated response on an allied level is needed as well as enforcing the rotational air defence and integrated anti-missile model as soon as possible," he added.The B9, or Bucharest Nine, group was formed in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. It includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.Russian drones have repeatedly strayed into Romania's airspace over the last year.Earlier this month, Romanian authorities <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/romania-searching-possible-drone-fragments-after-russian-attack-ukraine-2024-09-08/">said</a> they were investigating after a Russian drone crashed after breaching its airspace.Following the news, former NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said NATO condemned "the overnight Russian airspace violation into Romanian airspace.""While we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against Allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous," he added.The B9 countries underlined the importance of boosting European air defenses in a statement earlier this week."We need a collective answer within NATO to challenges posed by modern weapons and technologies including through boosting our capabilities of detecting, identifying and, if necessary, engaging low and slow flying objects," the statement said, per Romanian news agency <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.agerpres.ro/english/2024/09/18/b9-statement-strengthening-defense-industry-joint-air-defense-support-for-ukraine--1357016?mc_cid=750b6ee6ab&amp;mc_eid=cd1f92f96c">Agerpres</a>.Romania's strategic location — bordering Ukraine and on the shores of the Black Sea — makes it an important hub for NATO forces.The country's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/romanian-village-set-to-become-nato-largest-european-base-2024-6">Mihail Kogălniceanu air base is set to become the alliance's largest base in Europe</a>.A major expansion is expected to allow the base to support 10,000 NATO personnel and their families.

Romania is increasing its ammunition acquisition and calling on NATO to react to Russian incursions as Ukraine war lingers on its doorstep 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nvidia has made four acquisitions so far in 2024, matching its 2020 total.</li><li>Regulatory scrutiny is delaying the closure of some of Nvidia's deals, including Run:ai.</li></ul>Nvidia is entering the summer of what could be its most acquisitive year yet.According to public announcements, the firm has made four acquisition deals so far in 2024, exactly even with Nvidia's 2020 deal total. But some of this year's deals have yet to close, in part due to regulatory scrutiny.Nvidia, along with Microsoft and OpenAI, is the subject of a Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission investigation into <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-doj-investigation-runai-big-tech-crackdown-antitrust-acquisition-competition-2024-8">possible antitrust violations</a>.Nvidia declined to discuss its acquisition strategy for this report, citing a quiet period before it announces earnings on August 28. It also declined to confirm its acquisition count for this year or if it is indeed tied for most deals with 2020.That was a remarkable year, and not only because of the wrenching global pandemic panic followed by a surprising economic rebound. In April of 2020, Nvidia<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-nvidia-beat-six-other-companies-6-9-billion-mellanox-acquisition-2019-4"> acquired Mellanox for $6.9 billion</a>. The Israeli networking company has been touted as key to the AI data center strategy as we know it. And in September 2020, Nvidia announced an ill-fated $40 billion deal to acquire chip designer <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-arm-softbank-acquisition-price-2020-9">ARM from Softbank</a>. The parties terminated the deal in February 2022 citing regulator interference.Nvidia's latest deals don't necessarily rise to the profile of those, but they're notable all the same since the company has seemingly limitless resources and a firm spot as the foundation of the AI ecosystem.<h2 id="b89e09e4-6809-4659-85cc-81e337e98c0e">Meet the deals</h2>In April Nvidia agreed to acquire Israeli firm Run:ai, but the deal has not yet closed and is receiving scrutiny from the Department of Justice, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/01/feds-nvidia-ai-deal-chips-00172322">Politico</a>. Run:ai's technology makes GPUs run compute more efficiently, allowing more work to be done on fewer chips.In May, Nvidia agreed to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkj6phggr">acquire Deci AI</a>, another Israeli startup that makes tools for developers to build AI models, for $300 million.Months later in July, investors in California firm <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/canvas-backed-shorelineio-acquired-nvidia-bolster-cloud-bsbac/?trackingId=Uf%2BqmHx4mOEvbcuLrj0G5g%3D%3D">Shoreline</a> confirmed that Nvidia would acquire the company, which uses automation to reduce and address service-disrupting incidents in cloud computing.Later in July, Nvidia acquired <a target="_blank" href="http://Brev.dev">Brev.dev</a>, run by a small team out of San Francisco that seeks to lower the barrier to entry for AI development. The two companies had been collaborating for roughly 11 months, according to founder Nader Khalil speaking in a video posted to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/naderlikeladder_brevdev-has-been-acquired-by-nvidia-activity-7219052262373957633-fGsz?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop">LinkedIn. </a>The value of this acquisition remains undisclosed and may fall far below the usual threshold for regulator scrutiny.Though the company isn't keen to discuss its strategy publicly, Nvidia executives recently gave some indication of what it looks for."Small and medium M&amp;A will always be an area that we research. We take a strong look at these types of companies that we think could help bolt on," said CFO Colette Kress at a Citi Global technology conference in 2023. At another investor conference around the same time, Kress said it's unlikely the company would find another acquisition as consequential as Mellanox, but would still look for small companies with additive technologies.<h2 id="b712dd54-09f7-4888-ae6c-2f32ff2b0c3f">Slower and quieter but still going</h2>AI industry watchers and investors told Business Insider that acquisitions are slowing down among the big technology players who are under the microscope from the DOJ and FTC. But small deals are still going through and even some larger ones.In June, Amazon hired the majority of the team from Adept, a company with a foundation model aiming to rival OpenAI, and licensed the company's technology in a move commonly called a "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/1/24190060/amazon-adept-ai-acquisition-playbook-microsoft-inflection">reverse acquihire</a>."In July <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-defends-dominance-competition-increases-2024-6">Nvidia competitor</a> AMD announced an agreement to acquire <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/amd-acquire-finnish-startup-silo-ai-665-mln-step-up-ai-race-2024-07-10/">Silo AI</a>, a Finnish AI startup, for $655 million.And this quiet trickle of deals in various forms is unlikely to stop since the market for AI talent is so tight."It's $200,000 to $800,000 for an AI engineer right now," Paul Baier, CEO of GAI Insights, said. And that's if you can find one.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wave-ai-acquisitions-deals-who-could-get-bought-2024-5">Acquihires</a> are a common solution in such conditions. "When you do an acquihire for a failed AI startup, it's $4 million per engineer. That's how scarce this talent is," Baier continued.High valuations for startups that raised funds amid the initial AI frenzy, plus a severe talent shortage, equals, more acquihire deals, Umesh Pavdal, managing director of Thomvest, said, even with the more intense regulatory attention.Got a tip or an insight to share? Contact senior reporter Emma Cosgrove at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:ecosgrove@businessinsider.com">ecosgrove@businessinsider.com</a> or use the secure messaging app Signal: 443-333-9088.

Nvidia is on an acquisition spree even as regulatory scrutiny heats up and AI M&A cools

<ul class="summary-list"><li>DirecTV and Dish have decided to team up in the face of steady subscriber losses.</li><li>DirecTV hopes the deal can make it a one-stop shop in a fragmented media landscape.</li></ul>DirecTV knows it needs leverage to survive in a cutthroat TV industry marred by cord-cutting, so <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/directv-dish-network-merge-form-pay-tv-titan-2024-9">it's joining forces with one of its biggest rivals</a>.Two decades of flirting between DirecTV and Dish Network culminated in a <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=fc87f913b66d2898a5600dcff6da0996b4803de4234a8ae23667dec72beaeb09&amp;postID=66fc2a990c43543ec7a18045&amp;postSlug=directv-dish-deal-cable-bundle-pay-tv-disney-cord-cutting-2024-10&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.directv.com%2Finsider%2Fdirectv-and-dish%2F">long-rumored deal</a> unveiled on Monday. DirecTV will absorb $9.8 billion worth of Dish's debt, and private-equity firm TPG will own all of the satellite-TV giant after buying AT&amp;T's stake in a separate move.The timing of this tie-up between the two major satellite-TV providers is no coincidence.DirecTV is fresh off a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/directv-disney-cable-bundle-pay-tv-venu-sports-fubo-streaming-2024-8">hostile carriage dispute with Disney</a> in which its customers went without channels like ESPN and ABC for nearly two weeks at the start of football season, which is a huge driver of pay-TV sign-ups. The companies <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/directv-and-the-walt-disney-company-reach-agreement-in-principle-for-distribution-of-disneys-linear-networks-and-direct-to-consumer-services-302248325.html">eventually reached a truce</a> in which each seemed to secure concessions, though it won't be clear who won until details are finalized.Like all pay-TV providers, DirecTV has been crushed by cord-cutting for the last decade or more. The satellite titan hopes to stem the tide by offering <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/directv-disney-cable-bundle-pay-tv-venu-sports-fubo-streaming-2024-8">skinnier, genre-based bundles</a> and streaming services <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wbd-hbo-max-charter-deal-tnt-nba-cable-2024-9">at no extra cost</a>, though <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cable-tv-bundle-decline-disney-espn-flagship-streaming-media-strategy-2024-9">industry observers doubt those moves can reverse declines</a>.But unlike Charter and Comcast, which have broadband businesses they can fall back on, DirecTV has no clear backup plan outside the pay-TV bundle.With this in mind, media companies may try to push around DirecTV. That's one reason the TV provider negotiated so aggressively with Disney and even went on offense by teaming up with rival Dish. The move might not be a home run, but it could help DirecTV at least avoid a strikeout."I don't know that it's a game-changer," Corey Martin, chair of entertainment law firm Granderson Des Rochers's Entertainment Finance Practice, said of the deal in an interview with BI. "I think it allows them to continue to have a seat at the table for the foreseeable future."<h2 id="6f81bb1e-534d-472e-831d-470438bc3cdd">DirecTV may need to fight to survive</h2>DirecTV has a survival plan: It wants to become the ultimate middleman between content providers and consumers. It hopes to endure by putting traditional TV channels and streaming services in one place and establishing itself as the central interface, similar, in some respects, to how Spotify pools together music from major labels. It's also similar to the pitch made by TV operating system heavyweights like Roku and Amazon."We need some aggregator in the space who can bring all of your content together that you actually want to watch, not based on the studio that creates it," Jon Greer, the head of communications for DirecTV, told Business Insider.While streaming has given consumers tons of entertainment options, it has also created headaches. There's so much content that it can be tough to find quality shows and movies, and the fragmented landscape can be difficult to navigate. Sports fans have it particularly hard, especially since the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/venu-fubo-tv-cable-bundle-cord-cutting-disney-fox-wbd-2024-8">launch of sports streaming service Venu was blocked</a> in late August.DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said to investors and analysts in a webinar on Monday that while customers love watching shows on demand and on the platform of their choice, "they are pained with the idea of how the pricing works, how to account-manage across multiple subscriptions, about where to find their content and navigate each individual portal differently."These issues, plus streamers' steadily rising prices, have helped <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-warner-bros-discovery-hulu-max-streaming-bundle-package-2024-5">bundles mount a comeback</a>. And early evidence <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-hulu-max-bundle-wbd-streaming-wars-data-analysis-strategy-2024-9">suggests that offerings like the Max-Hulu-Disney+ bundle are popular</a>.DirecTV's fantasy is that consumers get fed up with paying for a litany of services and turn to them for a one-stop solution.Implicit in the satellite provider's strategy is the assumption that media companies need their help to build highly profitable direct-to-consumer businesses."This will again allow us to work with the programmers in a way that isn't so much about bullying," Morrow said. "This is about collaboration."But there's a space between bullying and collaboration, which is where the relationship between TV distributors and programmers usually stands. In that context, DirecTV's tie-up with Dish could give it the leverage it needs to try to turn its future vision into reality."The programmer relationship is pretty lopsided where they know their market power, they exercise their market power," Greer said. "We never want to do that, but we need to be able to have the scale to be able to have these different conversations with programmers."

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