Amazon is reportedly in talks to acquire the AI startup Decart for approximately $7 billion, according to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal. Sources familiar with the negotiations suggest that an agreement could be reached soon, provided that the discussions remain productive and no other competitors arise to make a counteroffer.
As of now, Amazon has not responded to inquiries for a comment on the matter. Decart has created software designed to facilitate developers in transitioning between various AI chips, a function that has grown increasingly vital as companies strive to boost their computing capabilities.
Founded in 2023, Decart is also developing world models named Lucy and Oasis, which have the ability to create and simulate realistic 3-D environments.
Additionally, the Wall Street Journal noted that Amazon's proprietary Trainium3 chip was engineered to rival Nvidia, the leading company in the graphics processing unit market essential for the AI industry. Last year, Amazon Web Services provided Decart with early access to this chip after being impressed by the startup's founders during a meeting.
Should the acquisition of Decart go through, it would exceed Amazon’s previous $6.5 billion acquisition of the MGM film studio in 2022. Earlier this year, the company also revealed its plans to acquire Globalstar, a competitor to Starlink, in a deal valued at approximately $11 billion.
Recent reports from Israeli news outlet Calcalist indicated that Decart was in advanced discussions for a buyout by a significant tech player, following news that Anthropic had abandoned a $6 billion acquisition offer for Decart just last month.
In related Amazon AI developments, PYMNTS previously spoke with Mary Beth Westmoreland, vice president of Worldwide Selling Partner Experience, regarding the company's upcoming AI initiatives aimed at assisting merchants. This new approach is focused not merely on enhancing responses for sellers but on minimizing the frequency of their inquiries altogether.
Westmoreland highlighted that Amazon is evolving its Seller Assistant tool from a simple question-answering system into a more comprehensive operational layer for third-party vendors. She mentioned that the capabilities of Seller Assistant have expanded from a limited range to now onboarding hundreds of features.
The tool is designed not only to respond to inquiries but also to analyze inventory, pricing, advertising, demand, and compliance, while adapting to how each merchant operates. With ongoing monitoring and the ability to take action upon authorization, this development may significantly change the role of AI from merely a tool to an integral part of the infrastructure for Amazon's millions of third-party sellers.
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