Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Vows Support for OpenAI IPO, Denies Tensions with Sam Altman Amid Speculation
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company would welcome the opportunity to invest in a future IPO of OpenAI, emphasizing there is "no drama" between Nvidia and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Speaking on CNBC's "Mad Money," Huang dismissed recent rumors of tension between the two companies, calling them unfounded. "The first deal is on," Huang said, referring to Nvidia’s landmark agreement with OpenAI in September, under which Nvidia committed to investing up to $100 billion in the AI startup. He added that a future OpenAI IPO would be a natural next step, and Nvidia would be eager to participate. "We love to be participating in that as well," he said. Huang described OpenAI as a "once in a generation company" and expressed pride in Nvidia’s role in supporting its mission. His remarks come amid reports suggesting internal concerns at Nvidia about the scale of the investment. According to the Wall Street Journal, some executives have questioned the deal’s long-term viability, citing the massive financial commitment. Separately, Reuters reported that OpenAI had expressed dissatisfaction with certain newer Nvidia chips and had explored alternative suppliers since last year. However, Huang firmly rejected these claims in a separate interview in Taipei, calling the speculation "nonsense." He reaffirmed Nvidia’s commitment, stating, "We will invest a great deal of money, probably the largest investment we've ever made." Altman has also pushed back against the narrative of discord. In a post on X, he wrote, "We love working with NVIDIA and they make the best AI chips in the world." He added, "We hope to be a gigantic customer for a very long time. I don't get where all this insanity is coming from." OpenAI remains one of the most valuable private AI companies globally and a key customer for Nvidia’s cutting-edge chips, which are essential for training and running large language models. While the company has not announced plans for an IPO, its rapid growth and massive computing demands have fueled widespread speculation about its future funding strategy. In January, investor Michael Burry, known for his "Big Short" bet, wrote in a Substack post that the launch of ChatGPT had triggered a "multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure race." He compared the moment to "someone built a prototype robot and every business in the world started investing for a robot future," underscoring the transformative impact of generative AI.
