Nvidia close to $30 billion OpenAI investment as MENA enters AI mega-round
Nvidia is finalizing a $30 billion investment into OpenAI, replacing a $100 billion long-term commitment from September 2025, according to sources cited by the Financial Times on Thursday. The funding round exceeds $100 billion, valuing OpenAI at $730 billion pre-money, and signals deepening AI hardware-software integration amid global compute shortages.
Core facts
The chipmaker’s revised stake replaces a prior agreement targeting 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems that failed to materialize. The mega-round includes SoftBank ($30 billion), Amazon (up to $50 billion), Microsoft (billions in undisclosed amounts), and Abu Dhabi’s MGX sovereign fund (billions in undisclosed amounts). OpenAI’s annualized revenues hit $20 billion, with plans to deploy $600 billion in compute infrastructure by 2030.
“Nvidia is close to finalising a $30bn investment into OpenAI that will replace the long-term $100bn commitment agreed by the companies last year.”
— Financial Times report
Analysis: This restructured deal shifts Nvidia from a deferred infrastructure promise to direct equity ownership, securing strategic control over OpenAI’s GPU procurement while countering competitive threats from custom silicon projects.
Why this matters
For MENA fintech, Abu Dhabi’s MGX participation marks a critical inflection point. Gulf sovereign funds are pivoting from passive capital allocators to active AI infrastructure investors. MGX’s undisclosed stake follows UAE’s G42 partnerships and Saudi Arabia’s Nvidia AI factory announcements, positioning Dubai, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi as regional AI compute hubs. Fintech applications—fraud detection algorithms, credit risk modeling, conversational banking—directly benefit from improved access to frontier models.
The deal’s structure reveals tech giants racing for vertical integration. Nvidia secures OpenAI’s chip demand; OpenAI locks in GPU supply; Microsoft protects cloud distribution. MENA’s strategic geography and capital reserves make Gulf funds indispensable partners in these trillion-dollar AI buildouts.
What to watch next: Deal finalization expected this weekend, Nvidia stock reaction Monday, and potential follow-on investments from Qatar Investment Authority or Saudi PIF. Monitor whether MGX negotiates preferential access to OpenAI models for UAE-based fintechs or regulatory sandboxes.
Conclusion
This mega-round accelerates the AI arms race while integrating MENA capital into the global technology stack. Gulf funds are no longer peripheral investors but kingmakers in infrastructure deals that will define the next decade of financial services innovation.
Sources: Zawya, Financial Times, Reuters
