Stripe to Acquire AI Marketplace OpenRouter for Over $8 Billion

Payments giant Stripe announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire OpenRouter, a platform that helps businesses route and optimize token usage across AI models. The deal marks Stripe's most significant move yet into the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence sector, as the company seeks to position itself at the intersection of digital payments and AI-driven commerce.

While the companies did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the deal is valued at slightly more than $8 billion. Stripe declined to comment on the purchase price, and OpenRouter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The acquisition comes at a time when soaring AI-related costs are pushing businesses to seek cheaper models and more efficient routing tools. OpenRouter, founded in 2023, has become a popular gateway for developers, processing more than 10 trillion tokens per day from over 400 AI models for a community of more than 10 million developers and companies.

"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," said Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, in a statement.

The deal deepens a year-long push by Stripe into AI, which has included launching products such as token billing to help businesses track and manage AI model consumption. It also comes amid broader industry trends: a Deloitte report from March found that most surveyed companies with annual revenue of at least $500 million expect to consume more than 10 billion tokens per month by 2028.

OpenRouter has attracted backing from prominent investors, including Menlo Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. In May, the company raised $113 million in a funding round led by CapitalG, Alphabet's independent growth fund.

The acquisition also highlights the growing strategic importance of AI infrastructure and marketplaces. By integrating OpenRouter's capabilities, Stripe could offer its vast merchant base seamless access to AI model management, potentially transforming how businesses pay for and consume AI services. Analysts note that AI marketplaces like OpenRouter serve as critical testing grounds for new systems, allowing developers to query dozens of models through a single interface.

Stripe, valued at $159 billion in a tender offer earlier this year, has also been active in broader fintech consolidation. Reuters reported last month that Stripe, together with private equity firm Advent International, made a joint offer to acquire PayPal for more than $53 billion. Businesses running on Stripe generated $1.9 trillion in total volume last year, a 34% jump from 2024.