Two AI startups merge to create a full-stack cloud, the first built with AI in mind from the ground up.
New York-based Lightning AI, a cloud platform where developers run AI apps, is teaming up with Voltage Park, a GPU provider based in San Francisco, Calif., with the pair operating under the Lightning AI name.
The merger brings together AI software and on-demand GPU compute into a single AI cloud designed for training, deploying and running AI models and applications. However, Lightning AI founder and CEO William Falcon did not disclose financial details of the deal. told Forbes The combined company has annual recurring revenues of more than $500 million and is valued at more than $2.5 billion.
According to a press release, Lightning’s more than 400,000 users, including individual developers, startups, and large enterprises, will now have access to more than 35,000 Nvidia H100, B200, and GB300 GPUs based in six data centers across the US.
Falcon said traditional clouds were designed for hosting and building websites and services. However, generative AI requires a different set of tools built for GPU-based workloads such as large-scale inference, multinode training, and large-scale data preparation.
The gap between what is offered and what is required means that there are too many single-use tools deployed across the AI ​​lifecycle, increasing complexity and cost. “Instead of using an iPhone, imagine carrying a separate calculator, flashlight, radio and more — that’s where AI tooling is today,” Falcon said in the press release.
Now, the merged company promises customers “purpose-built AI software with enterprise-grade reliability at neocloud GPU prices.”
Explaining the specifics of the offering, Saurabh Giri, former chief product and technology officer at Voltage Parks and now CPTO at Lightning AI, said in the release: “Most neoclouds sell raw GPU capacity without a deep software stack. Most AI platforms rely on third-party clouds. We are software-first and infrastructure-native, and designed end-to-end for AI workloads.”
Existing customers of Lightning AI will benefit from the expanded functionality at no additional cost, without any changes to their contracts. They will still be able to use other cloud services if that’s their preference.
