Nebius (NBIS) Acquires AI Startup Inferize for Up to $150M to Optimize GPU Performance

Key Takeaways

• Nebius completed the acquisition of Tel Aviv-based Inferize for a reported $100-150 million, with specific financial details remaining undisclosed.
• The Israeli startup developed innovative solutions to minimize GPU downtime during AI model initialization and traffic surges.
• At acquisition, Inferize operated with a lean team of just 17 staff members despite being less than a year old.
• Co-founders Guy Bortnikov and Lior Gorbonos previously collaborated at Granulate before Intel’s 2022 acquisition of that company.
• The Inferize purchase follows Nebius’s earlier $275 million acquisition of Tavily in early 2025.

AI cloud infrastructure provider Nebius has agreed to buy the Israeli artificial intelligence startup Inferize in a transaction valued between $100 million and $150 million. The company, led by CEO Arkady Volozh, operates under the ticker symbol NBIS on the Nasdaq exchange.

Nebius Group N.V., NBIS

Bortnikov and Gorbonos launched Inferize in January 2026 after their collaboration at Granulate, the infrastructure optimization firm that became part of Intel’s portfolio in 2022.

Throughout most of its brief existence, the company maintained a low profile, operating under the radar. When the acquisition finalized, Inferize employed a compact team of 17 professionals based in Tel Aviv.

The startup’s primary innovation tackles a critical inefficiency in AI operations. AI models require their parameters to be loaded into memory before processing requests—a sequence known as a cold start.

During this initialization phase, high-cost GPU resources remain idle while new computational instances spin up. Similar bottlenecks emerge when models undergo weight updates during processes such as reinforcement learning cycles.

Addressing Critical Infrastructure Challenges

Organizations deploying AI systems at enterprise scale encounter a difficult tradeoff. Maintaining excess GPU infrastructure ensures readiness for traffic surges, yet results in substantial expenses for underutilized equipment.

Alternatively, operating with minimal overhead creates responsiveness issues when computational demands spike unexpectedly. Inferize’s solution enables infrastructure to scale dynamically in alignment with actual workload patterns.

The technology promises enhanced GPU utilization rates and reduced per-request processing costs. Remarkably, the founding team developed a functional demonstration system within three months of the company’s establishment.

“Maintaining idle GPU capacity represents the cost of preparedness for demand fluctuations,” explained Bortnikov, the company’s chief executive. He emphasized that eliminating this inefficiency formed the fundamental motivation behind Inferize’s creation.

Nebius has chosen not to reveal precise acquisition terms. Market observers estimate the deal value falls within the $100 million to $150 million range.

Continued Expansion Strategy

The Inferize transaction represents Nebius’s second major Israeli acquisition in 2025. Earlier in February, the company announced plans to purchase Tavily for $275 million upfront, with potential total compensation reaching $400 million through performance-based earnouts.

Tavily developed specialized search infrastructure designed for AI agents, which Nebius intends to integrate into its broader cloud services offering. The company also engaged in acquisition discussions with AI21 during the same period.

The AI21 negotiations concluded without an agreement. Subsequently, the two entities established a commercial collaboration, while AI21 underwent significant restructuring, reducing headcount by over 60% as it concentrated efforts on its Maestro offering.

Beyond acquisitions, Nebius continues expanding its Israeli infrastructure presence. The organization has secured agreements for data center resources and won a contract to construct a national AI supercomputing facility.

Future installations are scheduled for Modi’in, Masmiyya, and Beit Shemesh locations. Shahar Tzafrir, managing partner at TLV Partners, which participated in Inferize’s initial funding round, offered perspective on the acquisition.

“Our prior relationship developed through our seed investment in Granulate, creating mutual familiarity,” Tzafrir noted. He described identifying a team with the expertise to address such sophisticated technical problems as “exceptionally rare.”

Inferize’s technology will be integrated into Nebius Token Factory, the company’s managed inference solution. The acquisition complements existing capabilities from Eigen AI and engineering talent acquired from Clarifai’s core development group.