The Nebius Tavily acquisition for $275 million marks a major turning point in the AI infrastructure market. As we enter the Agentic Era, this deal provides the real-time search capabilities necessary for autonomous AI agents to operate with precision….
The landscape of AI infrastructure is shifting rapidly from providing raw compute to offering integrated, “agent-ready” ecosystems. In a major move to solidify its position as a leading AI cloud provider, Nebius Group NV has agreed to acquire Tavily, an AI-native search engine designed specifically for autonomous agents, in a deal valued at $275 million.
This acquisition marks a significant milestone for Nebius as it evolves from its Yandex roots into a global “neocloud” powerhouse.
Nebius Tavily Acquisition: Powering the Future of AI Search (2026)
Founded by CEO Rotem Weiss, Tavily (a name derived from the Hebrew phrase for “bring me”) has quickly become the go-to search layer for AI developers. Unlike traditional search engines like Google, which return a list of links for human consumption, Tavily’s software is optimized for Large Language Models (LLMs).
It provides real-time, factual information that AI agents need to perform complex tasks such as:
- Autonomous Coding: Finding the latest documentation or library updates.
- Financial Trading: Accessing real-time market sentiment and news.
- Customer Service: Solving queries using live data rather than static training sets.
Before this acquisition, Tavily raised $25 million from prominent investors like Insight Partners and built a prestigious client roster including IBM and Cohere.
Strategic Impact of the Nebius Tavily Acquisition on Agentic AI
For Nebius co-founder and Chief Business Officer Roman Chernin, the acquisition is about more than just adding a tool—it’s about solving the “hallucination” and “recency” problems inherent in LLMs.
“LLMs are quite powerful to talk to about different stuff, but then you need to also understand what’s going on in real time,” Chernin noted.
The Nebius Tavily acquisition is more than just a headline; it’s a foundational shift for the AI sector.
The Shift from Human Search to Agentic Search
Chernin, a veteran of traditional search at Yandex, highlights a fundamental shift in how the web will be used:
- Iterative Behavior: AI agents don’t just click one link; they query, refine, and cross-reference information dozens of times in seconds.
- No More “Blue Links”: Agents require structured data, not a page of advertisements and SEO-optimized articles.
- Real-Time Context: To move beyond prototypes to scalable enterprise tools, agents need access to the most current data available on the open web.
Strengthening the Nebius “Neocloud” Ecosystem
Nebius has been aggressive in its expansion since splitting from Yandex in 2024. Headquartered in the Netherlands with data centers across the US, Europe, and Israel, the company specializes in high-performance GPU clusters for AI workloads.
The acquisition of Tavily complements Nebius’s existing portfolio, which includes:
- Token Factory: A product launched in November 2024 that provides access to open-source models combined with the compute needed to run them.
- Managed AI Services: Software that simplifies the deployment of AI workloads for clients like Microsoft.
By integrating Tavily, Nebius can now offer a “full-stack” AI development environment. Customers can rent the GPU power, select their model via Token Factory, and plug in Tavily’s search API to ensure their agents stay informed and accurate.
The Competitive Landscape
The AI search space is heating up. Tavily currently competes with Exa Labs Inc. (backed by Nvidia and Benchmark), which is also vying to become the “Google for the AI Era.” By acquiring Tavily, Nebius ensures it has proprietary control over a critical piece of the AI value chain, making it more attractive to enterprise clients who want a seamless, end-to-end development experience.
What’s Next?
As part of the $275 million deal, Rotem Weiss and the entire Tavily team will join Nebius. This infusion of talent and technology positions Nebius as a formidable challenger to traditional cloud giants, offering a specialized, high-velocity alternative for the next generation of AI startups and enterprise innovators.