Palo Alto Networks to buy Protect AI, strengthen AI security platform

Palo Alto Networks announced plans to acquire AI security platform vendor Protect AI in a deal that will strengthen its Prisma AIRS security platform, which includes AI agent capabilities.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but analysts from investment banking and capital markets firm Jeffries reportedly estimated Palo Alto Networks will spend between $650 million to $700 million to acquire Protect AI and its platform for securing AI and machine learning models and applications. Seattle-based Protect AI is set up to provide end-to-end security from model selection through to deployment and runtime monitoring.

“As AI-powered applications become core to businesses, they bring risks traditional security tools can’t adequately handle. By extending our AI security capabilities to include Protect AI’s innovative solutions for Securing for AI, businesses will be able to build AI applications with comprehensive security,” Anand Oswal, senior vice president and general manager at Palo Alto Networks, said in a statement.

Protect AI employees are expected to join Palo Alto Networks when the deal closes, following customary closing conditions. The deal is expected to close by Palo Alto Networks’ first quarter of fiscal 2026.

“Joining forces with Palo Alto Networks will enable us to scale our mission of making the AI landscape more secure for users and organizations of all sizes. We are excited for the opportunity to unite with a company that shares our vision and brings the operational scale and cybersecurity prowess to amplify our impact globally,” Ian Swanson, co-founder and CEO of Protect AI, said in a statement.