Ollama Raises $65 Million and Nearly Reaches 9 Million Users for AI Tool

Ollama raised $65 million and nearly reached 9 million users of a tool for AI

On July 9, 2026, the company Ollama raised $65 million in investments, and the number of users of its open-source tool for running AI locally approached 9 million. The project allows developers to run artificial intelligence models on their own computers and has already gathered a significant community on GitHub.

How the Ollama project grew

Ollama became popular thanks to a simple way to run AI directly on a PC. The tool is aimed at developers who need to quickly deploy a model locally, test its capabilities, or embed AI functions into their own applications without necessarily turning to an external cloud service.

According to the data presented in the publication, the project has accumulated almost 176,000 stars on GitHub. The number of forks approached 17,000. These indicators reflect not only interest in the repository, but also the scale of the community that uses, studies, and adapts the tool.

• Investments — $65 million
• Users — nearly 9 million
• GitHub stars — 176,000
• GitHub forks — nearly 17,000
• Primary scenario — running AI on personal computers

Why developers choose local AI

Running models locally gives developers more control over the environment and data. Instead of sending each request to an external API, you can deploy the model on your own computer, which is especially convenient for experiments, prototyping, and developing applications that require working with AI without constant connection to the cloud.

Ollama makes this scenario more accessible through a tool designed specifically for developers. The popularity of the project shows that demand for local AI infrastructure extends beyond enthusiasts and research teams. Nearly 9 million users is a sign that running models on personal devices is becoming a noticeable part of development practice.

At the same time, the growth of the audience does not mean that local deployment completely replaces cloud platforms. Performance depends on the computer, available memory, and the characteristics of the specific model. However, for many tasks, the local environment becomes a convenient addition to cloud APIs.

Where the investments will go

The original news does not reveal the directions for using the attracted funds and the conditions of the deal. It is only known that Ollama raised $65 million against the backdrop of rapid audience growth and high activity of the project on GitHub.

The fact of the round itself is important for the market of tools around open-source AI. Investors finance not only developers of models, but also products that simplify their deployment and application. Ollama occupies exactly this infrastructure layer: the company connects models with the everyday work scenarios of programmers and helps move AI closer to the user's device.

Ollama has grown to nearly 9 million users while maintaining a focus

on easy deployment of AI models on developers' computers.

What it means

A round of $65 million and nearly 9 million users show that local deployment of AI is turning into an independent mass segment, and tools for developers are becoming a key way to distribute open-source models.