Nvidia stock: why did it quietly take a 9.3% stake in this AI firm?

Nvidia’s disclosed 9.3% stake in Nebius shows how the chipmaker is trying to shape the global artificial-intelligence ecosystem beyond selling processors.

A Schedule 13G lists 22,256,412 Nebius Class A shares. The position is not a surprise acquisition. It reflects the $2 billion investment announced on March 11, when Nvidia backed the AI-cloud operator’s data-centre expansion.

The disclosure highlights a strategic loop.

Nvidia powers Nebius’s cloud, while its investment gives the chipmaker exposure to the customer’s future growth.

Nvidia stock: The 9.3% stake is not a new purchase

Nvidia directly holds 1,190,476 Nebius shares and may obtain another 21,065,936 through a pre-funded warrant acquired in March.

The warrant and underlying shares are locked until September 11.

However, because it became exercisable within 60 days of July 13, securities rules required Nvidia to count the warrant shares as beneficially owned.

That raised the reported holding to 9.3%, from an estimated 8.3% in March.

Nvidia agreed to invest $2 billion at an effective price of $94.94 per share. Nebius said the proceeds would support its AI cloud and new data centres.

The Schedule 13G is a passive ownership filing, not evidence that Nvidia is preparing a takeover.

Nebius offers leverage to the AI-cloud buildout

Nebius specialises in cloud infrastructure for companies training and running AI models.

Unlike diversified providers such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google, neoclouds concentrate on graphics-processor-intensive workloads.

The company plans to deploy more than five gigawatts of computing capacity by the end of 2030.

That should require substantial quantities of Nvidia processors, networking products and software, making Nebius both an investment and an important customer.

D.A. Davidson technology research head Gil Luria told Reuters in May that the greatest leverage was in “AI clouds and, specifically, Nebius”.

Luria was discussing another investor’s stake, but his assessment captures Nvidia’s logic.

He maintained a Neutral rating, warning that Nebius’s valuation could restrict near-term gains without additional catalysts.

AI start-up Reflection signed a computing agreement worth more than $1 billion with Nebius in July, including access to Nvidia’s latest chips.

Northland this week raised its Nebius target to $410 from $248 and retained an Outperform rating.

The firm said Nebius’s first secured financing backed by deployed GPU infrastructure was “answering a key lingering doubt” about funding expansion without repeated share issuance.

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A strategic flywheel or circular financing?

The bullish interpretation is that Nvidia is using its balance sheet to expand the market for its technology.

Financing specialised cloud providers can create more computing capacity, accelerate new systems and reduce reliance on a few hyperscalers.

The concern is that Nvidia is funding businesses that may return part of that capital through chip purchases.

Critics argue such arrangements blur the line between independent demand and vendor-supported expansion.

Nebius also brings indirect exposure to construction costs, power availability and capital-intensive customers.

BofA analyst Vivek Arya called broader concerns about AI financing “highly overstated.”

He estimated circular arrangements would represent only 5% to 10% of roughly $5 trillion in AI spending expected through 2030.