SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA / RankWire.AI / – Nvidia has reached a deal to acquire Hugging Face in a transaction valued at approximately $12.93 billion. The companies finalized the definitive agreement on September 2, 2026. Nvidia will provide around $11.9 billion to Hugging Face shareholders, subject to standard adjustments. The agreement also includes up to about $1 billion in equity-based retention awards for eligible employees. Both firms anticipate the deal will close in the first half of 2027, pending necessary approvals.
Hugging Face manages a prominent platform for AI models, datasets, software libraries, and developer tools. Nvidia reports that the platform has over 18 million users including developers, researchers, and creators. It hosts more than 3 million models and roughly 500,000 datasets. Additionally, it offers access to more than 1 million applications for AI development. Over 200,000 companies leverage Hugging Face services to explore, test, customize, and deploy AI solutions across various computing environments.
Post-acquisition, the companies stated Hugging Face will continue to support multiple models, frameworks, cloud providers, and hardware platforms. Developers will not be required to use Nvidia hardware to access the platform. The company will persist in supporting open-source and open-weight models from different providers, maintaining compatibility across various cloud services and accelerator technologies. Nvidia also confirmed that the platform will continue to support silicon vendors beyond its own products, in line with commitments linked to the deal.
Commitments to Open AI Platforms Remain
Hugging Face was founded in 2016 by Clément Delangue, Julien Chaumond, and Thomas Wolf. Since then, it has expanded its offerings to include model hosting, datasets, developer libraries, and cloud-based AI tools. The company’s valuation reached $4.5 billion following a funding round in August 2023, which raised $235 million from technology investors. Prior to the acquisition, Nvidia and Hugging Face had collaborated on projects connecting developers with Nvidia’s computing infrastructure and software tools.
Nvidia disclosed the acquisition agreement in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 3, 2026. The filing affirms that the deal is still pending and has not yet closed. Completion depends on regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Nvidia also outlined operational commitments for Hugging Face after the deal, including ongoing access to models and datasets, multi-cloud support, and compatibility with hardware from other semiconductor firms.
Expected Closure in Early 2027
Nvidia already maintains a significant presence within the Hugging Face developer community. The company states it has published more than 500 models and over 250 open datasets on the platform. Nvidia also supplies software libraries and development tools that users can customize for their AI projects. Hugging Face facilitates model discovery, evaluation, customization, and deployment. Its platform serves enterprises, research groups, and independent developers working on machine learning, generative AI, and other AI applications.
The $12.93 billion Nvidia acquisition of Hugging Face will remain subject to review until all closing conditions are satisfied. Nvidia anticipates completing the deal in the first half of 2027. Under the announced commitments, Hugging Face will continue supporting developers across various models, cloud services, frameworks, and platforms. The platform will sustain its multi-cloud and multi-accelerator approach. Until the deal finalizes, Nvidia and Hugging Face will operate as separate entities under the terms of the signed agreement.