Eye on AI: Deal activity involving startups is climbing in 2025, with artificial intelligence leading much of the momentum. In the first quarter alone, 81 AI-related acquisitions were completed—a 33% jump from both Q1 and Q4 of 2024, which each saw 61 deals.

Several of these Q1 deals stood out for their size. ServiceNow acquired enterprise AI assistant platform Moveworks in a $2.85 billion cash and stock deal. Meanwhile, Nvidia-backed CoreWeave—now a public company—purchased developer platform Weights & Biases for $1.7 billion.

Another major acquisition came in February, when AI content firm Metaphysic bought Brahma, a technology company focused on entertainment applications, for $1.4 billion. That brought the number of billion-dollar AI deals in Q1 to three.

There are also rumors of more high-value deals on the horizon. OpenAI has reportedly explored acquiring the AI-powered personal device being developed by Sam Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive. Given the people involved, any such deal would likely carry a significant price tag.

Eye on AI: Global Challenges Loom
These acquisitions happened before the recent escalation in trade tensions between the U.S. and China. With tariffs rising and supply chains under pressure, the AI sector could soon face new challenges—particularly around chip access and energy supply.

Still, for investors seeking profitable exits, the growing number of AI startup acquisitions is a promising sign.

More Eye on AI: $2B Raise for Safe Superintelligence
In other notable news, AI safety research firm Safe Superintelligence (SSI) has reportedly closed a $2 billion funding round, led by Greenoaks Capital, at a $32 billion valuation. While not officially announced, sources say the deal is nearly finalized.

This is SSI’s second massive raise in under a year. The company, co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, raised $1 billion last September from top investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. That round valued the company at $5 billion—meaning its valuation has jumped over sixfold in just seven months.

Interestingly, SSI isn’t generating revenue and doesn’t plan to launch an AI product anytime soon. Yet investor enthusiasm remains sky-high.

That’s the current state of the market—and why all eyes are keeping an Eye on AI.