Nvidia Backs Neocloud Startups as Market Crowds

Anthropic is in early-stage talks with Samsung Electronics to manufacture a custom AI chip, according to sources with direct knowledge of the project. The move mirrors OpenAI's strategy of developing proprietary chips to reduce dependence on external computing infrastructure and control costs. Google, Amazon Web Services, Meta, and Microsoft have all developed their own chips, while OpenAI unveiled Jalapeno, an inference chip designed for large-language models, last month.

NVIDIA is introducing a revenue-sharing partnership model that allows AI cloud providers to procure its infrastructure and resell services to startups, enterprises, and research organizations. The model addresses capital constraints that have historically limited emerging AI companies' access to large-scale compute. Early partners Sharon AI and Firmus are deploying tens of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs through this arrangement.

Tesla and SpaceX are operating with significant organizational overlap, with multiple executives holding senior roles at both companies, including in the $55 billion Terafab semiconductor manufacturing project. The cross-company collaboration suggests the two entities are already functioning as an integrated operation in key areas, even as speculation grows about a potential formal merger. This structural integration spans materials engineering, AI software, and vehicle software divisions.

NVIDIA and its partners are investing in American manufacturing, supply chains, energy infrastructure, and workforce development to enable domestic production of AI and computing infrastructure. The initiative aims to support U.S. healthcare, scientific research, industrial productivity, and technology leadership. The announcement signals a shift toward domestic sourcing and production capabilities for critical computing hardware.