NVIDIA is making a massive bet that the future of artificial intelligence will not be controlled solely by a handful of companies selling access to closed AI models.

The chip giant has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 billion, one of NVIDIA’s largest acquisitions. Hugging Face has become a central platform for developers building, sharing and deploying open-source and open-weight AI models. More than 18 million developers, researchers and creators use the platform, while more than 200,000 companies rely on it for AI development.

For businesses, the deal matters because it points toward a future in which companies have far more choices about how they build AI.

Rather than depending entirely on expensive proprietary models, businesses can increasingly customize open models for specific tasks, run them across different cloud providers and potentially deploy them using their own infrastructure. NVIDIA says Hugging Face will remain open and will continue supporting different models, clouds and computing platforms rather than requiring NVIDIA hardware.

That could eventually make enterprise AI more flexible and less expensive.

But there is another message behind the acquisition: AI infrastructure is becoming the real battleground.

NVIDIA already dominates the chips powering modern AI. By moving deeper into the software and developer ecosystem, the company is positioning itself across more of the AI stack—from the computing hardware to the models and tools businesses use to build applications.

For business owners, this means the AI decision is becoming less about asking, “Which chatbot should we use?” and more about asking, “What AI infrastructure gives our company the greatest control, flexibility and return on investment?”

The companies that begin experimenting with customized models, AI agents and internal AI systems now may have an advantage as these technologies become cheaper and more capable.

The NVIDIA-Hugging Face deal is therefore more than a $13 billion acquisition. It is a signal that the next phase of business AI may be defined by open models, customized systems and control over the underlying AI infrastructure.

And for businesses, that could ultimately mean more powerful AI without being locked into a single vendor.

Nvidia is making one of its biggest moves beyond chips, agreeing to acquire AI platform Hugging Face for roughly $13 billion. The deal is significant because Hugging Face has become a major home for open-source AI models, datasets and applications, with more than 18 million developers and 200,000 companies using the platform. Nvidia says Hugging Face will remain open and support multiple cloud and computing platforms.

What It Means for Businesses

The acquisition points to an important shift in the AI market: businesses are increasingly looking beyond simply subscribing to a chatbot.

Open-source AI gives companies more opportunities to customize models, run AI within their own infrastructure and reduce dependence on a single AI provider. Nvidia’s investment could accelerate that trend by combining its computing infrastructure with one of the world’s largest open AI communities.

For smaller businesses, the bigger takeaway is that AI is becoming infrastructure rather than an experimental tool. Companies that build AI into sales, customer service, marketing, operations and internal workflows are likely to have more choices about which models power those systems.

But there is also a warning. Hugging Face has recently faced AI-related security concerns, while businesses are giving autonomous AI agents increasing access to company systems. Security researchers and lawmakers are now pushing for stronger controls around what AI agents can access and execute.

The business opportunity is no longer simply “use AI.” It is building an AI stack that is flexible, secure and capable of changing as better models arrive.

For business owners, that means the companies that avoid locking themselves into one AI model today may have a significant advantage tomorrow.

The next major shift in business AI may not be another smarter chatbot. It may be AI that actually helps customers shop.

Anthropic announced Wednesday that it is giving retailers blueprints for building AI shopping and merchant agents using Claude. The systems can make personalized product recommendations and add items to a customer’s shopping cart, while merchant-facing agents can help with inventory, pricing and marketing decisions.

The timing is significant. Shoppers are increasingly turning to AI to compare products, check availability and decide what to buy. According to Adobe Analytics, visits to retail websites originating from AI are converting at a rate about 60% higher than traffic from other sources. Anthropic also reported that one partner saw shopping carts grow roughly 30% to 35%, while customers were about 60% more likely to complete a purchase.

What This Means for Businesses

This changes the role AI can play in sales.

For years, businesses primarily used AI to answer questions, generate content or automate individual tasks. Commerce agents move AI closer to the actual revenue process: understanding what a customer wants, recommending products and helping move that customer toward a purchase.

That means businesses may soon compete not only for Google rankings and social-media attention, but also for visibility inside AI-driven shopping experiences.

For small and midsize businesses, the message is particularly important. Companies do not necessarily need to build their own frontier AI model. They need to make their products, services, inventory and customer information usable by AI systems—and begin thinking about how an AI agent could participate in their sales process.

The businesses that adapt early could gain an advantage as customers increasingly ask AI what they should buy rather than searching through dozens of websites themselves.

The bigger shift is already underway: AI is moving from helping employees do the work to helping businesses generate the sale.

Last night, 54 Below opened its doors to something new and exciting. “Basement After Dark: The Music of RAYE” brought a fresh musical voice to the legendary cabaret room. Produced by 54 Below’s own Stephanie Lazard in collaboration with music director and co-producer Elmo Zapp, the evening featured a first-rate band and an exceptional cast of singers who delivered RAYE’s music with energy, style, and passion. The enthusiastic audience responded with standing ovations, embracing the songs of this award-winning British superstar singer/songwriter and discovering just how powerful her music can be in a live cabaret setting.

From Stephanie Lazard, co-producer

“Elmo and I have actually been friends for about 14 years! We met when we were both living in LA and worked on shows together there, and we’ve continued collaborating since we both ended up in New York. Last night was our sixth show together at 54 Below. We previously produced 54 Sings Hanson, 54 Gets Warped Discs 1 & 2, 54 Sings Sammy Rae & The Friends, and 54 Sings Across the Universe.

Basement After Dark: The Music of RAYE was the first installment of a new series we’re calling Basement After Dark. After doing several of the “54 Sings” shows together, we started talking about what we could do next and how we could take that general idea a step further. We wanted to create something that felt a little more elevated and theatrical, still celebrating the music of an artist we love, but making the evening feel like its own cohesive show rather than simply a collection of songs.

That was a big part of what we tried to do with RAYE. Elmo created an overture to open the evening, as well as musical interludes and transitions that allowed certain songs to flow directly into one another. We also thought a lot about the order of the music, the combinations of performers, and how we could build an arc throughout the night so there was a real sense of momentum from beginning to end.

RAYE felt like the perfect artist to launch the series with because her catalogue gave us so much to work with. Her music can be theatrical, soulful, jazzy, incredibly vulnerable, and then completely explosive, sometimes all within the same evening. It also gave us the opportunity to put together an incredible group of performers and let each of them bring something different to her music while still making the show feel like one complete piece.

Our hope is absolutely to continue Basement After Dark and build it into an ongoing series at 54 Below. The idea is that each installment can have its own identity depending on the artist or music we’re exploring, while keeping that same goal of creating something more theatrical and intentionally constructed than a traditional tribute concert.”

The performers: Sara Al-Bazali, Sydney Jones, Charlotte Odusanya, Sarah Pansing, Morgan Reilly, Debbie Christine, Tjong, Zalah Vallien.

The Band: Elena Bonomo, drums, Manny Houstan, piano, Devon Meddock, vocals/trumpet, Jordan Petty, saxophone, Kat Rodriguez,vocals,Mike Rosengarten, guitar, Elmo Zapp, bass.

54 Below LIVESTREAM

CHARLOTTE ODUSANYA,ZALAH VALLIEN, MORGAN REILLY, DEBBIE CHRISTINE TJONG, SARAH PANSING,SARAH AL-BAZALI, SYDNEY JONES, KAT RODRIGUEZ, DEVON MEDDOCK

SYDNEY JONES

SYDNEY JONES

DEBBIE CHRISTINE TJONG

DEBBIE CHRISTINE TJONG

MORGAN REILLY

MORGAN REILLY

MORGAN REILLY

ZALAH VALLIEN

KAT RODRIGUEZ

KAT RODRIGUEZ & DEVON MEDDOCK

CHARLOTTE ODUSANYA

CHARLOTTE ODUSANYA

SARAH PANSING

SARAH PANSING

ZALAH VALLIEN & DEBBIE CHRISTINE TJONG

SARAH AL-BAZALI

SARAH AL-BAZALI, KAT RODRIGUEZ, DEVON MEDDOCK

BASEMENT AFTER DARK: THE MUSIC OF RAYE

STEPHANIE LAZARD, CO-PRODUCER

DEBBIE CHRISTINE TJONG

ZALAH VALLIEN, MORGAN REILLY, KAT RODRIGUEZ

SYDNEY JONES & SARAH AL-BAZALI

If you are a regular reader of mine you know that Eda and I will follow gifted talent wherever they are. Meet Hershey Felder. If you are an avid theater goer in NYC you’ll be aware he just completed a lengthy sold out run at 59E59 Street Theaters with a show he called The Piano And Me. This show was sublime in every sense of the word and the reason we went was because Billy Stritch told us about him as he had just returned from performing in Teatro Niccolini, Hershey’s theatre in Florence, Italy. We became instant fans of Hershey because of his extraordinary piano skills, his storytelling is hypnotic, and he has a unique niche in history and popular culture and that found us headed on a train to Philadelphia to the People’s Light Theatre to see another show he created… Rachmaninoff And The Tsar which had Hershey as Sergi Rachmaninoff and Jonathan Silvestri as the Tsar.

From an early age, I’ve been captivated by piano legends, both renowned and unsung. Men and women who have completely dazzled and bewildered me with their skill…a spectacular blend of natural-born DNA talent and rigorous discipline.  Their artistry often moves me to tears or sparks an overwhelming excitement that I can barely contain. This lifelong passion first sparked under the guidance of my first piano teacher, Mr. Dave Roberts. Later, when I met Eda, (and her piano playing) who would become my wife, she became a member of my personal “piano club”. The remaining icons who shape my inspiration will keep their anonymity, purely so I can avoid offending anyone or creating an artistic debate….except, that is, for the latest addition to my club..Hershey Felder after we saw The Piano And Me opening night at 59E59. Hershey’s deeply personal journey was brought to life through a remarkable blend of humor, tragedy, history, and the highest degree of classical concert level performance. Mr. Felder doesn’t simply tell a story…he invites the audience into it, creating an experience that is both intimate and unforgettable. . Somehow, despite his brilliant 30 year career as an actor, pianist, and playwright, he had completely escaped my radar.

Thankfully now, Eda and I can say we “discovered” him and can now share him with you.

PEOPLE’S LIGHT, Malvern, PA.

EDA SOROKOFF & HERSHEY FELDER

STEPHEN SOROKOFF

HERSHEY FELDER

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HERSHEY FELDER & JOHATHAN SILVESTRI