What happened
Nvidia reported record quarterly revenue of $81.6 billion for the period ending April 26, 2026, marking a 20% increase from the previous quarter, with data centre revenue reaching a record $75.2 billion. The company authorised an additional $80 billion in share repurchases. Nvidia's holdings in privately held companies nearly doubled to $43 billion by quarter-end, driven by $18.5 billion in purchases during the quarter, a significant rise from $649 million in the prior quarter. CFO Colette Kress confirmed the Blackwell architecture's widespread adoption by major hyperscalers and model makers, while CEO Jensen Huang noted substantial capacity buildouts for partners like Anthropic.
Why it matters
Nvidia's expanding investment portfolio and infrastructure commitments reshape the AI ecosystem's competitive landscape. The $18.5 billion increase in private equity stakes, nearly doubling holdings to $43 billion, demonstrates aggressive capital deployment and direct influence over AI startup growth and model development. Significant capacity buildouts for partners like Anthropic further solidify this position. This follows Nvidia's $26 billion commitment to open models in March, intensifying pressure on other chip manufacturers and cloud providers. Investors, founders, and CTOs must assess the implications of Nvidia's deepening integration across the AI value chain.
