Bigger with AI, Stripe to acquire AI model gateway OpenRouter

Stripe announced Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire OpenRouter, an AI model gateway and routing platform. OpenRouter helps businesses route and optimize token usage across more than 400 models from over 80 providers.

The financial services company provides economic infrastructure for businesses, including most companies developing and building with AI. Stripe has worked to help companies optimize their token costs and route tokens efficiently since last year, launching products like Token Billing.

OpenRouter has built a platform that helps businesses dynamically evaluate each request, routing it to the optimal model based on task complexity, price, speed, and reliability. The platform is already used by companies including NVIDIA, Zoom, and Lovable.

“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, cofounder and CEO of Stripe. “Stripe is building the economic infrastructure for AI, and together with OpenRouter we’ll help businesses maximize profitability by routing their requests intelligently and spending their tokens efficiently.”