Payment processing firm Stripe has agreed to acquire OpenRouter, an AI model gateway that connects users to different AI models.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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However, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the development, that the transaction was worth a little more than $8bn.
Based in New York, OpenRouter operates a platform that allows businesses to route and optimise token usage across more than 400 AI models from over 80 providers.
According to a statement, the platform evaluates each request dynamically and directs it to a suitable model based on factors including task complexity, price, speed, and reliability. OpenRouter’s customer base includes companies such as NVIDIA, Zoom, and Lovable.
In May, OpenRouter also raised funding at a valuation at about $1.3bn.
The acquisition comes as Stripe has also focused on helping companies manage token costs and routing, including through its Token Billing product since last year.
Following the combination, Stripe and OpenRouter said intend to manage “both sides of profitability” which includes revenue maximisation and cost management.
Stripe cofounder and CEO Patrick Collison said: “Tokens are the central currency for companies building with AI, and it’s clear that the real-world economic potential will depend on making good use of scarce compute resources.
“Stripe is building the economic infrastructure for AI, and together with OpenRouter we’ll help businesses maximize profitability by routing their requests intelligently and spending their tokens efficiently.”
OpenRouter cofounder and CEO Alex Atallah said: “Stripe has spent over a decade building trusted, neutral infrastructure for businesses, and OpenRouter was built on the same philosophy.
“We believe intelligence will be multi-model: no single model will be optimal for every task, and developers need a neutral layer to orchestrate and manage them all. Joining Stripe lets us accelerate that mission and bring the full AI ecosystem to every business.”
