(July 30): Cloud provider Nscale agreed to acquire software startup Anyscale to help customers use AI computing power more efficiently.

The deal price is about US$1.65 billion (RM6.74 billion), according to a person familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

San Francisco-based Anyscale offers software that helps artificial intelligence (AI) workloads run more effectively across separate servers and data centres. Bringing these capabilities within Nscale will allow customers to get quicker results and better performance, said Dan Bathurst, Nscale’s chief product officer.

“An engineer can now come to Nscale as a one-stop shop for all of their training, fine-tuning and inference services,” Bathurst said in an interview.

Formed from a cryptocurrency mining business in early 2024, London-based Nscale has quickly become one of the most prominent data centre newcomers riding the AI boom. The company leases AI-focused computing power and is developing massive data centres, including sites in Norway and West Virginia.

A number of these new computing providers, often called neoclouds, are working to differentiate themselves through software offerings. In May, rival Nebius Group NV said it would spend US$643 million to acquire Eigen AI, a startup focused on efficient delivery of AI models. “If you look at the other neoclouds, everyone’s wanting to move up the stack,” Bathurst said, meaning offering a wider range of services.

Anyscale said it generated 70% revenue growth in its most recent quarter compared with the previous period. All of the firm’s roughly 200 employees will join Nscale as part of the deal. Anyscale had raised funds in 2022 above a US$1 billion valuation.

Nscale said last year that it plans to IPO, potentially as soon as the second half of 2026. Its board includes former Meta Platforms Inc executives Sheryl Sandberg and Nick Clegg.

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