Cohere and Aleph Alpha sign merger to create transatlantic AI company

Cohere and Germany’s Aleph Alpha have signed a definitive agreement to merge, creating a transatlantic artificial intelligence company. The combined entity will be dual-headquartered in Toronto and Berlin, aiming to establish a democratic alternative to dominant American and Chinese AI providers.

Under the agreement, the company will continue to operate under the Cohere name. The merger is expected to grow the workforce to over 1,000 employees across both continents. Aleph Alpha’s Heidelberg office will serve as a dedicated research center. Key leadership changes include Ilhan Scheer becoming Cohere’s Chief Operating Officer and Samuel Weinbach becoming Chief Research Officer once the deal closes.

Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez described the merger as a geopolitical move to ensure democracies can develop frontier AI on their own terms, rather than relying on a small number of non-democratic or US-centric players. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and is anticipated to close later this year.