Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI Inc., attends the AI Impact Summit on Thursday, February 19, 2026 in New Delhi, India.
Prakash Singh | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Nvidia CNBC is in talks to invest up to $30 billion in OpenAI as part of a funding round that could value the artificial intelligence startup at $730 billion, CNBC has confirmed.
The investment is separate from a $100 billion infrastructure deal announced by OpenAI and NVIDIA in September, said a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are confidential. The $30 billion has nothing to do with implementation milestones, the people said.
The September announcement that rocked the tech industry and set off a series of subsequent infrastructure deals outlined the structure for Nvidia’s multi-year investment in OpenAI as it brings new supercomputing facilities online. A source told CNBC at the time that NVIDIA’s initial investment of $10 billion would be committed when the first gigawatts are completed.
Nvidia’s $30 billion investment in OpenAI is different from what was being considered in September, but the company may still decide to invest in subsequent rounds along that framework, the people said.
The $30 agreement is not final and details are still subject to change, the people said. The Financial Times first reported on the potential investment.
Nvidia declined to comment.
Questions about the status of OpenAI and NVIDIA’s $100 billion infrastructure deal have swirled in recent months, particularly since the Wall Street Journal reported in January that the deal was “on ice.”
Nvidia previously said in its November quarterly financial report that there is “no assurance that we will enter into a definitive agreement regarding the OpenAI opportunity or any other potential investments.”
In a post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tried to allay concerns about the deal, saying the company loves working with Nvidia and “can’t understand where this madness is coming from.”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also addressed the potential rift in an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer earlier this month, saying there was “no question” the company would invest in OpenAI’s next round of funding.
OpenAI is also in fundraising talks with other investors, and as previously reported by CNBC, the round could close at around $100 billion. Negotiations have accelerated in recent weeks but have not yet been finalized.
As previously reported by CNBC, the startup’s funding round could be completed in two parts, starting with investments from strategic companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. Other contributions from a broader group of investors are likely to follow.
Watch: Watch CNBC’s full interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
