Nvidia Surges to Record $81.6B Revenue as Startup Investments Double
The chipmaker authorized $80 billion in stock buybacks and disclosed a massive surge in its venture portfolio, including major commitments to OpenAI and Anthropic.
Primary source: TechCrunch AI. Full source links and update notes are below.
Fast summary
Start here
- Nvidia achieved $81.6 billion in total revenue for the quarter, driven by a record $75.2 billion from its data center division.
- The company's stakes in privately held startups doubled to $43 billion following $18.5 billion in new purchases during the quarter.
- CFO Colette Kress confirmed that the Blackwell chip architecture has seen universal adoption by major cloud providers and AI model makers.
What happened
Nvidia reported financial results for the quarter ending April 26, 2026, reaching a record $81.6 billion in total revenue. This figure represents a 20% increase from the previous quarter, bolstered primarily by $75.2 billion in data center revenue. On the strength of these results, the company’s board has authorized $80 billion in share repurchases.
What's new in this update
A significant disclosure in the latest filing revealed that Nvidia's 'non-marketable equity securities'—its holdings in private startups—grew from $22 billion to $43 billion in just three months. This growth was driven by $18.5 billion in purchases, a massive escalation compared to the $649 million spent in the previous quarter. This portfolio includes a $30 billion commitment to OpenAI announced in February.
Key details
CEO Jensen Huang emphasized a major new partnership with Anthropic, stating that Nvidia is preparing a significant capacity buildout for the AI firm this year and next. CFO Colette Kress noted that while the new Blackwell architecture is being deployed by every major hyperscaler, the company is forecasting a slight slowdown in growth to 12% for the upcoming quarter, with an estimated $91 billion in revenue.
Background and context
While Nvidia continues to dominate the AI hardware market, it faces lingering uncertainty in China. Although U.S. regulators have approved H200 chips for export, Kress noted that the company has yet to generate revenue from those imports and remains uncertain if Chinese authorities will allow them into the country. The company's previous quarter saw significantly lower venture activity before the recent surge in startup backing.
What to watch next
Investors will be looking for the impact of the Blackwell architecture rollout on the next quarter's 12% growth forecast. Additionally, the industry is awaiting the formal closing of the $30 billion OpenAI investment and details on the specific infrastructure capacity being brought online for Anthropic throughout 2026 and 2027.
Why it matters
Nvidia's financial dominance and expanding venture portfolio solidify its dual role as both the primary infrastructure provider and a leading financier of the generative AI era.
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