By CTech
Publication Date: 2026-04-09 06:26:00
AI21 Labs is in acquisition talks once again, this time with AI infrastructure company Nebius, according to a report by The Information, months after earlier negotiations with Nvidia failed to result in a deal.
Calcalist previously reported that the Israeli startup had held advanced discussions with Nvidia at a reported valuation of $2 billion to $3 billion, above its last known valuation of $1.4 billion from 2023. Those talks reached senior levels but ultimately did not materialize into a transaction.
In January, co-founder and chairman Amnon Shashua confirmed that AI21 was engaged in discussions with Nvidia as well as other potential buyers, indicating that the company was formally exploring strategic options.
Founded in 2017 by Shashua, Professor Yoav Shoham and Ori Goshen, AI21 was among the early companies developing large-scale language models. However, it has struggled in recent years to keep pace with leading AI developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
The company has since narrowed its focus to enterprise applications, emphasizing accuracy and reliability. It discontinued development of its consumer product, Wordtune, and now centers on offerings such as its Maestro platform and a recently introduced reasoning model. Annual revenue is estimated at around $50 million.
AI21 employs roughly 200 people, down from about 260 in 2023, after scaling back expansion plans. Much of the interest in the company has been attributed to its workforce, which includes highly trained AI…
