Nvidia AI investments: Since the launch of ChatGPT two years ago, Nvidia’s revenue, profitability, and stock price have soared, with the latter experiencing an eightfold increase. Leveraging its growing cash reserves, the chip giant has aggressively invested in AI startups, reshaping the landscape of artificial intelligence innovation.
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Nvidia AI investments : Unprecedented Growth in Venture Capital Activity
In 2024, Nvidia significantly increased its venture capital activity, participating in 49 funding rounds for AI startups, compared to 34 in 2023, according to PitchBook data. Over the past two years, Nvidia has funded more AI startups than it did in the previous four years combined. This activity excludes investments by its corporate VC fund, NVentures, which also scaled its efforts, completing 24 deals in 2024 compared to just two in 2022.
Nvidia AI investments aim to bolster the AI ecosystem by supporting startups that are “game changers and market makers.” This approach has made Nvidia the most active corporate investor in AI startups over the past two years, outpacing Alphabet’s 73 deals and Microsoft’s 40, as per PitchBook data.
Key Startups Backed by Nvidia
Nvidia AI investments : The Billion-Dollar Club
- OpenAI: Nvidia invested $100 million in OpenAI during a $6.6 billion funding round in October 2024, valuing the company at $157 billion.
- xAI: Elon Musk’s xAI raised $6 billion, with Nvidia as a key investor. Despite earlier backing OpenAI, Nvidia joined its competitor’s cap table in early 2024.
- Inflection: Nvidia contributed to a $1.3 billion round for Inflection AI in 2023, though the startup faced challenges after its founders joined Microsoft.
- Wayve: Nvidia participated in a $1.05 billion funding round for Wayve, a U.K.-based autonomous driving startup.
- Safe Superintelligence: Nvidia backed a $1 billion round for the AI lab founded by Ilya Sutskever, valued at $5 billion.
- Scale AI: Nvidia joined other tech giants in a $1 billion round for Scale AI, which provides data-labeling services, valuing the company at $14 billion.
Nvidia AI investments : Startups Raising Hundreds of Millions
- Crusoe: Nvidia participated in a $686 million round for Crusoe, a data center builder for major cloud providers.
- Figure AI: This robotics startup raised $675 million in February 2024, with Nvidia as a key investor.
- Mistral AI: Nvidia joined Mistral AI’s $640 million Series B, valuing the French startup at $6 billion.
- Cohere: Nvidia invested in Cohere’s $500 million round for enterprise-focused large language models.
- Perplexity: Nvidia has consistently supported Perplexity, including its $500 million funding round in late 2023.
- CoreWeave: Nvidia’s investment in CoreWeave helped the AI cloud computing provider grow its valuation from $2 billion to $19 billion.
Other Notable Investments Over $100 Million
- Ayar Labs: $155 million funding for optical interconnects.
- Kore.ai: $150 million for enterprise AI chatbots.
- Weka: $140 million for AI-native data management platforms.
- Runway: $141 million for generative AI tools for content creators.
- Bright Machines: $126 million for robotics and AI-driven software.
- Vast Data: $118 million for AI-focused storage solutions.
- Enfabrica: $125 million for networking chips for AI systems.
| Startup Name | Round Amount | Year | Category | Valuation | Nvidia’s Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | $6.6 Billion | 2024 | Generative AI | $157 Billion | Investor |
| xAI | $6 Billion | 2024 | Generative AI | Undisclosed | Investor |
| Inflection | $1.3 Billion | 2023 | Generative AI | Technology Acquired | Lead Investor |
| Wayve | $1.05 Billion | 2024 | Autonomous Driving | Undisclosed | Participant |
| Safe Superintelligence | $1 Billion | 2024 | AI Research | $5 Billion | Investor |
| Scale AI | $1 Billion | 2024 | Data Labeling | $14 Billion | Investor |
| Crusoe | $686 Million | 2024 | AI Data Centers | Undisclosed | Participant |
| Figure AI | $675 Million | 2024 | AI Robotics | $2.6 Billion | Investor |
| Mistral AI | $640 Million | 2024 | Large Language Models | $6 Billion | Investor |
| Perplexity | $500 Million | 2023 | AI Search Engine | $9 Billion | Investor |
| CoreWeave | $221 Million | 2023 | AI Cloud Computing | $19 Billion | Early Investor |
| Sakana AI | $214 Million | 2024 | Generative AI | $1.5 Billion | Investor |
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Nvidia AI investments : Nvidia’s Vision for the AI Ecosystem
Nvidia AI investments strategy reflects its commitment to accelerating AI innovation. By backing transformative startups, the company has positioned itself as a leader in the generative AI era, driving technological advancements and reshaping industries.
With a strong focus on supporting “game-changing” companies, Nvidia’s influence extends far beyond hardware, making it a key player in the future of AI.
