Nvidia has agreed to acquire open-source AI platform Hugging Face for $12.9bn.

The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the deal.

According to the report, acquisition talks began after Hugging Face, an open-source platform that enables AI developers to collaborate, test and share tools, attracted interest from another potential buyer.

Business Insider separately reported that Nvidia had been in talks to acquire Hugging Face.

The outlet reported last week that Hugging Face had hired a bank to assess interest from potential bidders, citing people familiar with the matter.

Hugging Face and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

If completed, the acquisition would bring one of the world’s most widely used platforms for developing, sharing and collaborating on open-source AI models under Nvidia’s ownership, further strengthening the chipmaker’s presence in the software and AI model ecosystem.

Nvidia, whose stronger-than-expected earnings on Wednesday sent its shares up 4 per cent in after-hours trading, has pursued a series of major deals over the past year, including a $20bn licensing agreement with AI chip startup Groq.