Nvidia has already committed $40B to AI initiatives this year

Nvidia continues to be the biggest investor in the AI ​​universe, giving more than $40 billion to AI companies – and that’s in the first months of 2026, according to CNBC.

Most of that comes from a single bet, $30 billion investment in OpenAI. But CNBC reported that the chipmaker also announced seven billion-dollar investments in publicly traded companies, most recently investing $3.2 billion in glass maker Corning and $2.1 billion in data center operator IREN.

We’ve done it before he raised money for Nvidia’s AI startupincluding 67 ventures in 2025. And according to FactSet data, it has already participated in about a dozen private equity startups in 2026.

The fact that Nvidia has been investing in some of its customers has led to repeated criticism that these are circular marketing moving money back and forth between the same companies.

Wedbush Securities analyst Matthew Bryson said Nvidia’s investment falls “around the money head,” but said if it wins, it could help the company create a “competitive strategy.”