According to sources close to the situation, International Business Machines (IBM) is nearing an agreement to acquire HashiCorp, a provider of cloud software. The potential acquisition was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, and HashiCorp’s stock price has surged by 24%, giving it a current market value of $6.1 billion. The deal, if finalized, is expected to close within the next few days. However, it’s important to note that negotiations may still fall apart and result in no transaction.