Nvidia has already committed $40B to equity AI deals this year

<p id="speakable-summary" class="wp-block-paragraph">Nvidia continues to be a major investor in the AI ecosystem, committing more than $40 billion to equity investments in AI companies — and that’s just in these early months of 2026, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/09/nvidia-embraces-ai-investor-topping-40-billion-in-equity-bets-2026.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">according to CNBC</a>.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Much of that total comes from a single bet, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/jensen-huang-says-nvidia-is-pulling-back-from-openai-and-anthropic-but-his-explanation-raises-more-questions-than-it-answers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a $30 billion investment in OpenAI</a>. But CNBC reports that the chipmaker has also announced seven multibillion-dollar investments in publicly traded companies, most recently deals to invest up to $3.2 billion in glassmaker Corning and up to $2.1 billion in data center operator IREN.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We’ve previously <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/02/nvidias-ai-empire-a-look-at-its-top-startup-investments/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rounded up Nvidia’s investments in AI startups</a>, including 67 venture deals in 2025. And according to FactSet data, it’s already participated in around two dozen investment rounds in private startups in 2026.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fact that Nvidia has been investing in some of its own customers has led to the recurring criticism that these are <a href="https://techcrunch.com/video/the-circular-money-problem-at-the-heart-of-ais-biggest-deals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">circular deals</a> moving money back and forth between the same companies.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Wedbush Securities analyst Matthew Bryson said Nvidia’s investments fall “squarely into the circular investment theme,” but suggested that if successful, they could help the company build a “competitive moat.”</p>