Nvidia to invest $5 billion in Ilya Sutskever's AI startup

Chipmaker Nvidia is planning a significant $5 billion equity investment in Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a startup co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, the former chief scientist at OpenAI. This move is part of a strategic partnership between the two companies, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The partnership aims to bolster SSI's available computing power. The deal will grant the startup access to Nvidia's cutting-edge Vera Rubin hardware, a crucial component for advanced AI development. While the companies announced the agreement on Monday, they did not disclose the specific financial terms involved.

Bloomberg was the first to report the $5 billion equity investment figure. The strategic deal reportedly came together rapidly, within a matter of weeks, indicating a swift alignment of interests between Nvidia and Sutskever's new venture.

Ilya Sutskever, a key figure in the development of advanced AI models, left OpenAI in May 2024. His departure, alongside other senior researchers, followed internal turmoil at the artificial intelligence research lab. Sutskever's new venture, SSI, is focused on developing superintelligence, a hypothetical AI with cognitive abilities far surpassing those of humans.

Nvidia's substantial investment underscores its commitment to supporting the growth of leading AI startups and solidifies its position as a critical enabler of the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence. The partnership suggests a strong belief in Sutskever's vision and the potential of SSI to push the boundaries of AI capabilities.