According to ChainCatcher, Israeli financial daily Calcalist reported on Tuesday that Nvidia (NVDA.O) is in advanced negotiations to acquire Israeli AI startup AI21 Labs for a sum between $2 billion and $3 billion. A 2023 funding round valued AI21 Labs at $1.4 billion, with Nvidia and Google's parent company Alphabet (GOOG.O) participating in the investment.Founded in 2017 by Amnon Shashua and two others, AI21 Labs is among the startups benefiting from the surge in interest in artificial intelligence. Shashua is also the founder and CEO of Mobileye, a developer of autonomous vehicle technology. AI21 Labs has been seeking a sale for some time, and discussions with Nvidia have made significant progress in recent weeks.Nvidia's primary interest in AI21 Labs appears to be its team of approximately 200 employees, most of whom hold advanced degrees and possess rare expertise in AI development. The acquisition price translates to roughly $10 million to $15 million per employee.