Key Takeaways
- Chip maker Nvidia has invested an undisclosed sum in Thinking Machines Lab, founded by ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati
- A multi-year strategic collaboration was revealed between the companies on Tuesday
- At least one gigawatt of Nvidia’s Vera Rubin infrastructure will be deployed by Thinking Machines
- The rollout is scheduled to begin in early 2026
- A $2B fundraising round in July 2025 gave Thinking Machines a $10B valuation
Nvidia has taken a financial stake in Thinking Machines Lab while simultaneously forging a multi-year strategic alliance with the AI company. Both firms made the announcement public on Tuesday.
Neither party revealed the financial details of Nvidia’s investment.
Under the terms of the partnership, Thinking Machines will roll out a minimum of one gigawatt worth of Nvidia’s upcoming Vera Rubin computing systems. These platforms will power the company’s advanced AI model training operations and infrastructure.
According to Thinking Machines, the Vera Rubin system deployment is slated to commence early in 2026.
Mira Murati, who previously held the position of Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, established Thinking Machines Lab. The company’s mission centers on developing scalable, customizable artificial intelligence solutions for corporate clients, academic institutions, and scientific researchers.
In an official statement, Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, remarked: “Thinking Machines has brought together a world-class team to advance the frontier of AI. We are thrilled to partner with Thinking Machines to realize their exciting vision for the future of AI.”
Murati responded: “NVIDIA’s technology is the foundation on which the entire field is built. This partnership accelerates our capacity to build AI that people can shape and make their own.”
A $10 Billion Valuation
This marks the second time Nvidia’s name has been linked to Thinking Machines. The graphics chip manufacturer participated in a $2B funding round during July 2025 that assigned the startup a $10B valuation.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) spearheaded that funding initiative, with AMD, ServiceNow, and Cisco Systems joining Nvidia as participants.
Tuesday’s news elevates the connection beyond a passive investment, establishing Nvidia as a committed long-term strategic collaborator.
The agreement also encompasses collaborative engineering efforts to create training and inference systems optimized specifically for Nvidia’s hardware architecture.
Vera Rubin Takes Center Stage
Representing Nvidia’s upcoming generation of GPU computing infrastructure, the Vera Rubin platform occupies a central position in this arrangement, with a gigawatt-level deployment commitment.
A gigawatt represents significant power consumption — indicative of the massive scale required for cutting-edge AI model development today.
According to Thinking Machines, the Vera Rubin hardware foundation will support its efforts in creating AI systems that end-users can personalize and engage with directly.
The collaboration aims to broaden accessibility to advanced AI capabilities and open-source models throughout enterprise and research environments.
Nvidia has already placed bets on numerous AI companies and continues strengthening industry relationships through hardware supply contracts combined with ownership positions.
The Thinking Machines agreement represents another addition to this portfolio, distinguished by its gigawatt-scale infrastructure pledge.
