Nvidia invests $5B in Intel to co-develop AI data center CPUs and RTX-powered PC chips

Nvidia is taking a $5 billion equity stake in Intel and teaming up to build “multiple generations” of products spanning data centers and PCs—an alliance that pushed Intel shares up as much as 30% intraday and 22.8% at the close on September 18. Nvidia is purchasing stock at $23.28 per share as part of the deal.

The announcement

  • Nvidia and Intel will co-develop custom x86 CPUs for Nvidia’s AI infrastructure platforms, tightly coupling with Nvidia GPUs and networking.
  • For PCs, Intel will build new x86 SoCs that incorporate Nvidia RTX GPU chiplets.
  • Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called it a “historic collaboration,” estimating a large addressable market for the combined offerings.
  • The investment is subject to regulatory approvals; no product release dates were announced.

Technical details

  • Data center: Intel to design custom x86 CPUs that connect to Nvidia accelerators via NVLink for higher-bandwidth CPU–GPU links than PCIe, aimed at large-scale AI workloads.
  • PC: Intel’s x86 “RTX SoCs” will integrate Nvidia GPU chiplets, targeting a wide range of laptops and desktops.
  • Scope: Collaboration focuses on product integration; it does not commit Nvidia to manufacture on Intel Foundry at this time.

Impact and applications

  • Data centers could see denser, more efficient AI racks by pairing Intel CPUs with Nvidia GPUs, potentially accelerating training and inference at hyperscalers.
  • In PCs, the move pressures AMD across both CPU and GPU segments, while giving OEMs a new high-performance x86 option for AI-enabled laptops.
  • Market reaction: Intel surged up to 30% intraday; Nvidia gained ~3%.

What’s next

  • The companies signaled a multi-year roadmap with “multiple generations” of products; fuller specifications and timelines are expected in the coming quarters.
  • Watch for ecosystem updates (software stacks, SDKs, board designs) and whether future phases broaden into packaging or foundry work.

In a year defined by AI hardware realignment, the Nvidia–Intel pact reshapes the competitive map from cloud to client—melding Nvidia’s acceleration stack with Intel’s x86 footprint and setting up a new front in the race to power AI everywhere.