Nvidia and OpenAI have agreed in principle to a landmark partnership that could see up to $100 billion deployed to build advanced AI data centers powered by millions of Nvidia GPUs. The first phase of deployment is expected in 2026.
Partnership overview
Nvidia said in a statement on September 22, 2025 that it has signed a letter of intent with OpenAI to progressively invest up to $100 billion as the company deploys at least 10 gigawatts of AI compute capacity for OpenAI’s next-generation infrastructure.
OpenAI will use the capital to acquire Nvidia chips and systems required to train and deploy its future models, while Nvidia gains a direct financial interest in one of its largest customers. The first one‑gigawatt phase will use Nvidia’s forthcoming Vera Rubin platform and is slated to go live in the second half of 2026.
Executive reactions
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said this partnership represents an unprecedented build‑out of AI infrastructure.
“This investment and infrastructure partnership mark the next leap forward—deploying 10 gigawatts to power the next era of intelligence,” Huang said.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman stressed the importance of compute.
“Compute infrastructure will be the basis for the economy of the future, and we will utilize what we’re building with Nvidia to both create new AI breakthroughs and empower businesses with them at scale,” Altman said.
OpenAI president Greg Brockman added that the organization has used Nvidia hardware since its founding and that this new deal will expand their long‑standing collaboration.
Historic scale
Reuters reported reported on Sept. 23, 2025 that 10 gigawatts of computing power is comparable to the electricity consumption of more than eight million U.S. households. CNBC added that such a project could involve between four and five million GPUs, roughly equal to Nvidia’s total 2025 shipments.
Building one gigawatt of capacity is estimated to cost between $50 billion and $60 billion, with about $35 billion of that dedicated to Nvidia chips and systems, CNBC said.
Market impact
Nvidia shares rose almost four percent after the announcement, boosting its market capitalization by around $170 billion to a record high. Oracle, which partners with OpenAI on global data center projects, saw its stock gain about six percent on the day, according to Reuters.
BBC News reported that OpenAI was most recently valued at approximately $500 billion in a secondary market sale. Nvidia’s initial $10 billion investment is expected once the first gigawatt is completed.
Wider context
The BBC noted that this deal comes during heightened global competition in artificial intelligence, with U.S. firms like Nvidia and OpenAI jockeying for position against rising Chinese rivals such as DeepSeek. At the same time, Nvidia is contending with regulatory scrutiny in both Washington and Beijing, facing restrictions on chip exports and antitrust reviews.
OpenAI said it now has more than 700 million weekly active users, while Nvidia recently became the world’s most valuable company by market capitalization.
Looking ahead
Both companies said they will finalize the definitive terms in the coming weeks. If completed, analysts expect this would be one of the largest corporate infrastructure commitments in history and a defining moment in the race to develop advanced artificial intelligence.
Gunel Ismayilova
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