Baseten is finalizing a funding round reported to total $1.5 billion, valuing the AI services startup at up to $13 billion, according to multiple outlets citing The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. The round is described as a dual-tier structure: some investors buy in at an $11 billion valuation while others participate at a $13 billion valuation. Outlets characterize the financing as tied to growing demand for AI inference, with Baseten positioning its software and computing approach to help customers run, optimize, and train open-source AI models more efficiently. Bloomberg describes Baseten as providing a software and computing layer aimed at companies using lower-cost AI models. TechCrunch frames the move as occurring months after Baseten’s previous large financing, suggesting continued investor interest in companies focused on the “inference” stage of AI workloads. Across coverage, the core elements are consistent: Baseten is nearing completion of a $1.5 billion round, and the company’s valuation ranges between $11 billion and $13 billion depending on investor tier.