Nvidia is using OpenAI’s Ilya Sutskever to loosen Google’s grip on elite AI research

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is putting money and hardware behind Safe Superintelligence, the lab started by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.

The deal gives Ilya more access to Nvidia’s graphics chips and cuts the lab’s earlier dependence on processors from Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL).

Nvidia called the funding “substantial,” but neither side shared the amount. The company agreed after reviewing work that Safe Superintelligence has kept mostly hidden. Financial terms remain private, and neither company gave a timeline for hardware deliveries.

The companies said the hardware could multiply the startup’s computing capacity by an “order of magnitude.”

Safe Superintelligence had primarily trained its systems with Google’s tensor processing units, or TPUs. It will now add a lot of Nvidia GPUs, which are used for huge AI training sessions. The deal also gives Nvidia another high-profile research customer as chip companies compete for future demand.

Nvidia brings another former OpenAI leader onto its hardware platform

Nvidia used a similar deal in March with Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former technology chief. Mira co-founded Thinking Machines Lab in 2025. Nvidia invested in that company in March, and Thinking Machines released its first model this month using Nvidia chips.

Safe Superintelligence was formed in 2024. Ilya built the company around one goal: creating what he calls “safe superintelligence.” That means AI able to do anything humans can do without endangering them. Its plan is a “straight-shot” research effort rather than a normal product schedule filled with public releases.

Safe Superintelligence raised about $2 billion from firms including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. By late last year, the business had reached a valuation of around $30 billion without providing a public model or specific product strategy. Its price was primarily based on Ilya’s reputation and previous work at OpenAI.

The lab has kept nearly all technical details private. Ilya said its scientists are “focused on overlooked aspects of how the human brain functions.” Nvidia was given a closer look before committing capital and chips. The deal gives the lab another source of computing power.

Apple retakes the top valuation as Nvidia and other chip names fall

The announcement came on a weak day for Nvidia shares. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) dropped 5% on Monday and finished with a market value of $4.77 trillion. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) gained 1%, lifting its value to $4.95 trillion and putting it ahead of Nvidia for the first time since April 2025.

Nvidia had been the world’s most valuable company since June 2025, when it passed Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Its valuation briefly reached $5 trillion in October. So far in 2026, Nvidia stock has risen only 4%, while Apple has climbed 24%.

Apple has spent less on building its own AI data centers. It has chosen to rent capacity instead. Investors have favored that approach as concern grows over the huge bills tied to AI construction. Nvidia’s sales are still in their third year of strong AI-led growth, but some money has gone toward memory makers and other suppliers that benefit from data center demand.

Those companies include Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), SK Hynix (KRX: 000660), and SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK). Apple will publish fiscal third-quarter results on Thursday. The report is expected to show the financial effect of the global memory shortage linked to AI demand. Apple raised Mac and iPad prices in June after memory costs increased.

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 262.83 points, or 0.51%, and closed at 52,210.08. The S&P 500 gained 0.02% to end at 7,413.18. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.18% and settled at 24,932.08.

Chip stocks cut some early losses but still finished lower. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SMH) lost more than 2% after also falling on Friday. Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) dropped 5%, Teradyne (NASDAQ: TER) fell 4%, and Micron declined about 2%.

Oil also fell after the United States and Iran paused attacks. September Brent crude futures sank 8.7% to $88.36 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures lost 7.5% and closed at $82.61 per barrel.

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