Nvidia confirms OpenAI investment as Jensen Huang calls $100 billion stall report “nonsense” in Taipei
TAIPEI — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in Taipei on Jan. 31, 2026, that Nvidia will make a “huge” investment in OpenAI and will “definitely participate” in its funding round, calling reports of a stalled $100 billion deal “nonsense.”
Key takeaways
- Huang confirmed Nvidia plans a large investment in OpenAI and will “definitely participate” in the ongoing funding round; he dismissed stall reports as “nonsense.”
- The companies announced a strategic partnership in September 2025, including plans for at least 10 GW of Nvidia systems and an intent to invest up to $100 billion (non‑binding). See the Nvidia investor release.
- Reporting earlier this week suggested internal doubts about the $100 billion scale; TechCrunch summarizes the developments and Huang’s rebuttal — TechCrunch.
Background: the September 2025 announcement
In September 2025, Nvidia and OpenAI issued a joint statement outlining an ambitious strategic partnership. The announcement said the firms planned to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia computing systems to support OpenAI’s infrastructure and that Nvidia intended to invest up to $100 billion over time tied to that deployment.
The statement was presented as a strategic partnership and a non-binding letter of intent, with explicit risk language noting conditions, economic factors and other uncertainties. Full company details were provided in the Nvidia press release.
Why that announcement mattered
The scale of compute required for frontier models is enormous, and Nvidia’s chips are central to that work. A multi‑decade, multi‑gigawatt procurement and an investment pledge on the order of $100 billion would reshape supply, pricing and competitive dynamics in AI compute.
For OpenAI, deep-pocketed partners reduce supply and cost risk; for Nvidia, close partnership locks in a major buyer and strengthens co‑development and roadmap co‑optimization. The announcement signaled potential shifts across cloud providers, chipmakers and global supply chains.
The Wall Street Journal report and internal doubts
On Jan. 30, reporting summarized in industry outlets said some inside Nvidia questioned the scale and timing of a $100 billion commitment, with internal discussions reportedly favoring a smaller equity investment in the “tens of billions.” Those themes — concerns about business discipline, timing and competition — were summarized in coverage by TechCrunch and attributed to a Wall Street Journal account.
Additional accounts of internal debate were reported by industry outlets such as MLQ, which described pauses and questions inside Nvidia about the commitment’s size and timing.
Huang’s remarks in Taipei
“Nonsense,” Jensen Huang said, pushing back on characterizations that the deal had stalled or that he was unhappy with OpenAI. He said Nvidia will “definitely participate” in OpenAI’s current funding round and called the opportunity “such a good investment.”
Huang described the planned investment as a “great deal of money,” potentially Nvidia’s largest ever, but stopped short of confirming the $100 billion figure and deferred to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for fundraising details. He also lauded OpenAI as “one of the most consequential companies of our time.” His comments were reported by outlets including TechCrunch and Bloomingbit.
What remains unclear
- Final terms: The September 2025 statement was non‑binding and noted forward‑looking risks; no final public deal terms or schedule for the full $100 billion have been disclosed (Nvidia release).
- Size of equity stake: Some reporting suggests Nvidia may scale back to an equity investment in the “tens of billions,” but that has not been confirmed by Nvidia or OpenAI (TechCrunch).
- Timeline and deployment: The first phase referenced using Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform in H2 2026, but precise timing depends on technical, regulatory and market factors (Nvidia release).
OpenAI’s broader fundraising push
OpenAI is reportedly seeking to raise up to $100 billion in a broad funding round that would include cloud and chip partners as well as financial investors. Public reporting lists potential participants including Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft and SoftBank. Both Nvidia and OpenAI say details are still being worked out; coverage of the fundraising effort is summarized by TechCrunch.
Implications for the world
Economic impact: A large Nvidia investment in OpenAI could lock in long‑term demand for advanced chips, accelerate manufacturing investments and reshape global supply chains and pricing.
Competition and market structure: A deep Nvidia–OpenAI tie would prompt rivals such as Google Cloud and Anthropic to intensify hardware and software strategies, likely affecting talent competition and regional data‑center investment.
Security and regulation: Large compute commitments raise questions about data sovereignty, export controls and governance of powerful models; European regulators may scrutinize market concentration and AI safety implications more closely.
Technology access and research: Close partnerships could speed innovation but narrow access for researchers outside the ecosystem, prompting universities and public labs to seek new collaboration models and compute access strategies.
Financial markets: Confirmation of Nvidia participation could influence investor sentiment toward Nvidia, OpenAI and suppliers, reshaping valuations and expectations in the AI sector.
Local angle: Taipei and the semiconductor ecosystem
Huang’s remarks in Taipei highlight the region’s role in advanced semiconductor production and system assembly. A sustained multi‑gigawatt deployment by OpenAI leaning on Nvidia technology would involve Taiwanese and regional partners for components, testing and deployment, with implications for local investment, workforce demand and supply‑chain adjustments (Nvidia release).
Reporting and sourcing
This article relies on company statements and coverage published Jan. 31, 2026. Key sources include Nvidia’s September 2025 investor release (Nvidia investor release), TechCrunch’s Jan. 31 reporting summarizing recent developments (TechCrunch), and aggregator coverage such as Bloomingbit. Additional accounts were reported by industry outlets including MLQ.
Reporting note
Nvidia’s September 2025 announcement and subsequent comments are public company communications and press reporting. The Wall Street Journal account of internal doubts was reported Jan. 30 and summarized by other outlets; Nvidia’s CEO publicly repudiated characterizations of unhappiness and said Nvidia will participate in the ongoing OpenAI funding round (sources above).
