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Meta secures Nvidia AI chips; Nvidia also sells AI CPUs. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/03/intel-will-start-maki

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Meta Builds Custom AI Chip to Challenge Nvidia Dominance

Meta secures millions of Nvidia AI chips as Nvidia begins selling own AI CPUs

2 min read

Why does this matter now? Nvidia has just begun offering its own AI‑focused CPUs to external customers—a move it’s never made before. That shift opens a new supply channel for firms that need massive compute power to train and run large language models.

At the same time, Meta is busy designing its own in‑house silicon to handle similar workloads. The juxtaposition is striking: a tech giant that has spent years building custom AI chips is now turning to a rival’s freshly released processors. While the tech is impressive, the scale of the purchase hints at how quickly Meta wants to fill the gap between its internal projects and the market’s demand for hardware.

It also raises questions about how long Meta will rely on Nvidia’s new CPUs before its own designs can take over. The partnership signals a pragmatic approach to securing the compute needed for the next wave of AI development.

Meta's new deal with Nvidia buys up millions of AI chips.

Meta's new deal with Nvidia buys up millions of AI chips Nvidia's starting to sell AI CPUs for use by themselves for the first time. Nvidia's starting to sell AI CPUs for use by themselves for the first time. Meta is also working on its own in-house chips for running AI models, but according to the Financial Times, it has run into "technical challenges and rollout delays" with its chip strategy. Nvidia is also dealing with concerns about depreciation and chip-back loans used to finance AI buildouts, as well as the pressure of competition.

Will Meta’s data centers run smoother? The new multiyear agreement adds millions of Nvidia Grace CPUs and Blackwell and Rubin GPUs, marking the first large‑scale Grace‑only deployment. Nvidia claims the chips will bring “significant performance‑per‑watt improvements” for Meta’s workloads, yet independent verification is pending.

In addition, the contract schedules Vera CPUs for a 2027 rollout, expanding the hardware mix even further. Nvidia’s move into selling AI‑focused CPUs to external customers is itself a notable shift, though how this will affect pricing or supply dynamics remains unclear. Meta continues to develop its own in‑house AI processors, but the article offers no detail on timelines or integration plans, leaving the relationship between proprietary silicon and Nvidia’s offerings uncertain.

The partnership underscores Meta’s reliance on Nvidia’s ecosystem for its AI ambitions, while also hinting at future diversification. Whether the promised efficiency gains translate into measurable cost or performance benefits for Meta’s services is still to be confirmed.

Further Reading

Common Questions Answered

Why is the $100 billion Nvidia-OpenAI deal currently stalled?

[cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/03/nvidia-openai-stalled-on-their-mega-deal-ai-giants-need-each-other.html) reports that negotiations are 'on ice' after some within Nvidia expressed doubts about OpenAI's business model. Despite the friction, both companies still need each other, with Nvidia requiring customers like OpenAI to drive chip sales and OpenAI needing Nvidia's AI chips to meet growth targets.

What did Jensen Huang say about the proposed $100 billion OpenAI investment?

[fortune.com](http://fortune.com/2026/02/02/jensen-huang-nvidia-ceo-on-openai-investment-never-a-commitment/) quotes Huang stating that the $100 billion investment was 'never a commitment' and that Nvidia would consider funding rounds 'one at a time'. Huang also told CNBC that he is 'looking forward to Sam closing it' and will 'invest in the next round'.

What is the current valuation of Nvidia and OpenAI according to the article?

As of the article's publication, Nvidia's market cap peaked at $5 trillion in October and has since dropped to $4.4 trillion. OpenAI was valued at $500 billion on the private market late last year and is reportedly eyeing a valuation over $800 billion in its next funding round.