EXL to Buy AI Firm iMerit in Deal Worth Up to $310M
ExlService Holdings agrees to acquire iMerit, an AI model training specialist, for up to $310 million to deepen its enterprise AI capabilities.
ExlService Holdings (NASDAQ: EXLS) announced Tuesday it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire iMerit, a specialist in AI model training, evaluation, and reinforcement learning, in a deal valued at up to $310 million in upfront and future consideration. The New York-based data and AI company expects the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2026, pending customary regulatory and closing conditions.
The acquisition targets iMerit's core strength: helping clients train large language models and multimodal AI systems to sharpen accuracy, precision, and overall effectiveness. As enterprises race to extract measurable value from AI investments, EXL is betting that owning this kind of foundational model expertise will give it a competitive edge that pure analytics or consulting firms cannot easily replicate.
Read more UK Tribunal Clears $4B Apple iCloud Class Action Suit →
For EXL, the strategic rationale runs in three directions. The deal is designed to strengthen the company's ability to deliver quantifiable AI outcomes for enterprise clients, forge closer partnerships with leading foundation model developers, and plant a flag in high-growth AI technology sectors that are rapidly reshaping how businesses operate and compete.
The move signals how aggressively established data services players are consolidating AI talent and infrastructure before the market matures. By absorbing iMerit's reinforcement learning capabilities, EXL positions itself as a full-stack partner for companies navigating the shift from AI experimentation to production-grade deployment — a transition that remains the central challenge for most large organizations today.
Continue reading at GlobalNewswire.
