At a Glance
- Nvidia invested over $4 B in 67 AI startup deals in 2025.
- The chipmaker backed companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Mistral AI.
- NVentures, Nvidia’s corporate VC, closed 30 deals this year, up from just 1 in 2022.
- Why it matters: The funding spree positions Nvidia as a central force in the AI ecosystem, extending its influence beyond hardware.
Nvidia’s meteoric rise since the advent of ChatGPT has turned the chipmaker into a $4.6 trillion market-cap behemoth. Leveraging its soaring cash reserves, the company has shifted from supplier to investor, pouring capital into the AI startups that will shape the next generation of technology.
Venture Investment Surge
In 2025, Nvidia participated in nearly 67 venture capital deals, surpassing the 54 deals it completed in all of 2024. NVentures, the corporate VC arm, closed 30 deals this year, compared to just 1 in 2022. The strategy is to back startups that Nvidia views as “game changers and market makers.”
| Year | Total VC Deals | NVentures Deals |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 54 | 1 |
| 2025 | 67 | 30 |
These figures illustrate the company’s aggressive push to embed itself in the AI ecosystem beyond its core GPU business.
Key Deal Highlights
Nvidia’s most prominent investments have spanned a range of AI sectors, from foundational models to infrastructure. Below are the major deals that exceeded $100 M in funding rounds since 2023.
- OpenAI – $100 M check in a $6.6 B round that valued the company at $157 B.
- Anthropic – up to $10 B in a round that included a $5 B Microsoft check, with a circular spend agreement for Azure compute and future GPU systems.
- xAI – $6 B in a December 2024 round and a commitment to invest up to $2 B in the planned $20 B equity round.
- Mistral AI – €1.7 B (≈$2 B) Series C at a €11.7 B post-money valuation.
- Reflection AI – $2 B round valuing the startup at $8 B.
- Thinking Machines Lab – $2 B seed round valuing the company at $12 B.
- Inflection – $1.3 B round in June 2023, followed by a Microsoft acquisition of its founders.
- Crusoe – $1.4 B Series E round valuing the company at $10 B.
- Nscale – $1.1 B round followed by a $433 M SAFE in October.
- Wayve – $1.05 B round, with an additional $500 M planned investment.
- Figure AI – $1 B+ Series C, valuing the robotics startup at $39 B.
- Scale AI – $1 B round with Amazon, Meta, and Accel, valuing the company at $14 B.
- Commonwealth Fusion – $863 M round, valuing at $3 B.
- Cohere – $500 M Series D, valuing at $6.8 B.
- Perplexity – $500 M round in December 2024, valuing at $18 B.
- Poolside – $500 M round, valuing at $3 B.
- Lambda – $480 M Series D at a $2.5 B valuation.
- Black Forest Labs – $300 M Series B, valuing at $3.25 B.
- CoreWeave – $221 M round in April 2023, still a major shareholder.
- Together AI – $305 M Series B, valuing at $3.3 B.
- Firmus Technologies – AU$330 M round, valuing at AU$1.85 B (~$1.2 B).
- Uniphore – $260 M Series F with AMD, Snowflake, and Databricks.
- Sakana AI – $214 M Series A, valuing at $1.5 B; second round $135 M at $2.65 B (Nvidia not in second).
- Nuro – $203 M round, valuing at $6 B.
- Imbue – $200 M round.
- Waabi – $200 M Series B with Uber, Khosla.
- Ayar Labs – $155 M round.
- Kore.ai – $150 M round.
- Sandbox AQ – $150 M investment in Series E, valuing at $5.75 B.
- Hippocratic AI – $141 M Series B at $1.64 B; later $126 M round (Nvidia not in later).
- Weka – $140 M round, valuing at $1.6 B.
- Runway – $308 M round, valuing at $3.55 B.
- Bright Machines – $126 M Series C.
- Enfabrica – $125 M Series B.
- Reka AI – $110 M round.
These investments demonstrate Nvidia’s reach across foundational models, infrastructure, robotics, and specialized AI services.
Strategic Commitments and Future Plans
Nvidia announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI that could see up to $100 B invested over time, though later filings indicated no guarantee of completion. The company also pledged up to $10 B to Anthropic and up to $2 B to xAI’s equity round, aiming to secure GPU supply and compute resources. These commitments reflect Nvidia’s intent to embed its hardware in the core of AI development.
Key Takeaways
- Nvidia’s 2025 investment count tops 60 deals, a leap from 2024.
- The chipmaker’s funding spans every segment of AI, from model training to robotics.
- Strategic partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI signal a shift from supplier to ecosystem architect.
With its growing portfolio of high-value AI investments, Nvidia is not only fueling the next wave of AI innovation but also positioning itself as a central partner for the technology that will define the future.
