Nvidia Nears $30 Billion Stake in Record-Breaking OpenAI Funding Round

Nvidia is close to finalizing a $30 billion investment in OpenAI that would replace the company’s earlier commitment to invest up to $100 billion, which was announced in September, Reuters reported Friday (Feb. 20).

The Nvidia investment would be part of a funding round in which OpenAI is seeking to raise $100 billion at a valuation of $830 billion, according to the report.

Other likely participants in the round include SoftBank and Amazon, the report said.

Much of the new capital is likely to be used to purchase Nvidia chips to power OpenAI’s AI models, per the report.

It was reported Feb. 1 that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company’s proposed $100 billion investment into OpenAI was “never a commitment” and that “we will invest one step at a time.”

Days earlier, it was reported that the planned investment had stalled after some people within Nvidia began having doubts about the deal.

Responding to reports that he was unhappy with OpenAI, Huang said in the Feb. 1 report: “We will invest a great deal of money. I believe in OpenAI. The work that they do is incredible. They’re one of the most consequential companies of our time.”

It was reported Wednesday (Feb. 18) that OpenAI is close to concluding the initial phase of a record-breaking round of funding that is likely to take in upwards of $100 billion and value the startup at more than $850 billion.

That report said the first portion of the funding round will most likely come from strategic investors such as Amazon, SoftBank, Nvidia and Microsoft.

It was reported Jan. 29 that Amazon is discussing investing as much as $50 billion in OpenAI and that the negotiations are being led by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who has been directly involved in talks with OpenAI’s leadership.

Earlier reports said SoftBank is in discussions to invest up to $30 billion more in OpenAI, adding to its existing stake, and that OpenAI is also exploring capital from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and venture firms.

It was reported Jan. 15 that OpenAI is lining up suppliers to support a major product expansion over the next few years that could include data centers, robotics and consumer devices.

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