Elon Musk is reported to be interested in acquiring an Israeli AI startup in a multi-billion-dollar deal through his SpaceX company.
Decart, founded in 2023 by Dean Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev, is said to be in advanced stages of selling to a major international tech firm - and Musk’s SpaceX is thought to be the frontrunner.
A deal could be struck in the coming week, according to leading Israeli business news site Calcalist.
The outlet reported that AI chip maker Nvidia had originally been in talks with the firm, which builds software that allows AI to run faster and more efficiently, but that the deal fell through when another huge international player took interest.
Decart has not commented on the prospective sale, but according to Calcalist several high-tech sources have speculated about SpaceX being the new bidder.
Amazon and Dutch-based cloud company Nebius are also believed to be in the running.
Musk has been keeping tabs on Decart since 2024, according to Calcalist.
This was when the company launched Oasis, a game based on Decart’s technology for generating video in real time. After trying Oasis - which attracted a million users within three days of launching - Musk posted “wow” on X.
The Tesla boss and Leitersdorf have been in touch since then, per the report.
Meanwhile, one of the firm’s key backers, Shaun Maguire, is a vocal supporter of Israel who arranged for Musk to visit Israel after October 7.
Last year, Leitersdorf and Shalev gave an interview to Calcalist in which they said: “We want to be Google, Apple or Facebook in the field of AI.”
To get more Israel news, click here to sign up for our free Israel Briefing newsletter.