Skip to content
Tech News
← Back to articles

Nvidia's $5 billion Intel bet is now worth nearly $25 billion, and its SpaceX stake isn't far behind

read original more articles
Why This Matters

Nvidia's strategic investments in Intel, SpaceX, and other tech firms highlight its commitment to advancing AI infrastructure and forming key industry alliances. These investments not only yield significant financial gains but also position Nvidia at the forefront of AI hardware and data center innovation, impacting both the tech industry and consumers by accelerating AI development and deployment.

Key Takeaways

Bottom line: Nvidia's latest SEC filing describes a growing investment portfolio spanning chips, optical networking, telecom equipment, design software, and cloud infrastructure. Several of those bets have also produced substantial gains, including its Intel stake, which is now worth nearly $25 billion.

Nvidia bought $5 billion in Intel stock last year as part of the companies' AI infrastructure partnership, creating one of the company's most valuable equity positions. The stake was valued at $24.989 billion in the latest filing.

The Intel deal was both a financial investment and a strategic move. The companies said they would work on Intel x86 RTX system-on-chip for PCs that pair Intel processors with Nvidia graphics. They also announced plans for custom Nvidia data-center x86 processors. The investment gave Intel added support during a difficult period and created a closer relationship between the two chip giants.

The filing shows a change in Nvidia's Arm holdings, too. Nvidia has sold its 1.1 million shares in the company, which were worth $178.1 million last August. The company is still expected to pursue Arm-based CPU development, even though it no longer holds Arm stock.

Nvidia also reported a $20.975 billion stake in SpaceX. That investment is tied to SpaceX's growing AI ambitions. SpaceX's xAI has committed to using Nvidia hardware exclusively in its AI data centers on Earth and in orbit. The stake could become more valuable if SpaceX's stock recovers, but its current importance appears to be strategic.

The company is also investing in technology that supports larger AI systems. Nvidia put $2 billion into Coherent earlier this year. Coherent makes lasers, optical materials, and semiconductors, and it is expected to supply Ultra-High-Power Continuous-Wave lasers for Nvidia data-center platforms using co-packaged optics.

Co-packaged optics is becoming more important in large AI data centers because it can help move data between processors at higher speeds while reducing some of the limits of traditional electrical connections. Coherent's shares have risen sharply since Nvidia announced the investment.

Nvidia has made a similar bet on telecom infrastructure. In October, it announced plans to invest $1 billion in Nokia to support AI-RAN development and the shift from 5G to 6G. Nvidia's Nokia holdings are now worth $2.2 billion.

The company's investment in Synopsys fits into its broader AI strategy. Synopsys has been adding AI features to its electronic design automation software, which is used to design chips and other advanced systems. Nvidia bought $2 billion worth of Synopsys stock last December. The stake is now valued at $2.15 billion.

Nvidia continues to hold stock in some of its customers. Its CoreWeave position grew from 24.277 million shares valued at $3.959 billion last year to 47.213 million shares worth $4.699 billion. The increase in shares suggests Nvidia added to its position as CoreWeave's stock price fell.

... continue reading