Nvidia’s AI empire: A look at its top startup investments

Nvidia invests heavily in AI startups, leading with 83 deals since 2023.

: Nvidia has dramatically increased its investments in AI startups, participating in 83 funding rounds from 2023 to 2024. This investment spree includes partnerships with prominent startups like OpenAI and xAI and aims to expand the AI ecosystem. Nvidia's strategy shows a focus on emerging AI technologies, mirroring its own revenue growth driven by AI advancements.

Nvidia has increased its ventures into AI startups significantly, with 83 funding rounds in 2023 and 2024, compared to 38 in total from the prior four years. This push excludes its corporate VC fund, NVentures, which has also amplified its involvement, suggesting a strategic aim to enhance the AI ecosystem with groundbreaking and market-making startups.

Among the substantial investments, Nvidia participated in OpenAI's $6.6 billion round and Elon Musk's xAI $6 billion round, demonstrating their substantial influence in financing game-changing AI firms. Another notable investment was in Inflection AI, with a $1.3 billion round, though its future became uncertain post-acquisition of its founders by Microsoft.

The expansive range of investments includes Scale AI and Wayve, highlighting Nvidia's focus on diverse AI applications from data labeling to autonomous driving. Similarly, with investments in companies like CoreWeave for AI cloud computing, Nvidia has not only vested in immediate technological realms but also planned for upcoming trends in AI and computing infrastructure.