Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang asserted Saturday that rumors of friction between his company and OpenAI causing a stall in their investment plans were "nonsense." This direct response follows a late Friday publication by The Wall Street Journal which indicated Nvidia was reconsidering the scale of its commitment to the AI developer.
The original September agreement outlined a substantial partnership where Nvidia would invest up to $100 billion and construct ten gigawatts of computing infrastructure for OpenAI. However, the WSJ reported that Huang had begun emphasizing the deal's nonbinding status and privately voiced reservations regarding OpenAI's business model compared to rivals like Anthropic and Google.
An OpenAI spokesperson provided comment to the WSJ, noting the two entities are "actively working through the details of our partnership." The spokesperson further stressed that Nvidia has been foundational to OpenAI's breakthroughs and will remain central to future scaling efforts.
During a visit to Taipei, when questioned about the report, Huang unequivocally stated Nvidia will "definitely participate" in OpenAI’s next funding initiative. He characterized the investment as a sound financial decision, underscoring his belief in OpenAI's significance, calling them "one of the most consequential companies of our time."
While confirming participation, Huang declined to specify the dollar amount Nvidia intends to contribute to the round. He deferred that announcement to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, stating it is "for him to decide" how much the company aims to raise in total.
This situation occurs as OpenAI reportedly seeks to secure $100 billion in its current funding round, according to earlier reports from December. Other major entities, including Amazon, Microsoft, and SoftBank, are also reportedly in discussions regarding potential investments in the AI firm.
Overall, Huang's strong public denial serves to stabilize market perception regarding the critical infrastructure relationship between the leading GPU provider and the prominent generative AI research lab. The focus now shifts to the specifics of the finalized terms of Nvidia's participation in the upcoming capital raise.
