Nvidia weighs another Perplexity AI investment to lock in the agent compute stack

Nvidia is reportedly in discussions to invest further in Perplexity AI at a valuation exceeding $30 billion, according to a report by The Information. The move would deepen Nvidia's ties to a rapidly growing AI search and agent startup that has tripled its annualized revenue run rate to $750 million in eight months. For builders, this signals that Nvidia is betting hard on the convergence of AI search, agents, and its own compute stack.

The growth story: Perplexity Computer and Bixby reach

Perplexity's revenue surge is largely attributed to two products. Perplexity Computer, a cloud-based AI agent released for Mac in April 2026, acts as a general-purpose digital worker that can automate tasks like editing documents, updating spreadsheets, and completing cross-application workflows. It expanded to Windows later. The other driver is Perplexity's integration with Samsung's Bixby assistant, which brings its search capabilities to roughly 800 million devices globally.

These two channels pushed Perplexity's annualized revenue from under $250 million at the start of 2026 to about $750 million. If accurate, that is a 3x increase in under a year.

Why Nvidia cares: ecosystem insurance and Vera CPUs

Nvidia is already an investor in Perplexity alongside Jeff Bezos and SoftBank. A larger stake would serve as a strategic hedge. Nvidia wants to ensure that the AI search and agent layer remains aligned with its chip ecosystem, rather than shifting to competitors like AMD or Cerebras. Perplexity has already committed to adopting Nvidia's Vera CPUs for agent workloads, tightening the infrastructure tie.

Nvidia's broader playbook includes providing direct financing for customers to buy its hardware. It recently arranged over $500 billion in financing for AI infrastructure projects through Wall Street banks. The Perplexity investment fits a pattern: Nvidia supplies the compute and invests at the application layer, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of demand for its chips.

What this means for AI builders

If you build on Perplexity's search APIs or deploy Perplexity Computer as an agent for clients, this deal should reassure you about the company's infrastructure runway. Perplexity also struck a $750 million deal with Microsoft Azure earlier this year to run its workloads. The combination of Nvidia and Azure support means the platform is unlikely to face compute bottlenecks soon.

However, the strategic alignment also means Perplexity is increasingly tied to Nvidia. If you prefer multi-cloud or multi-chip flexibility for your agent workloads, watch whether Perplexity's infrastructure choices limit your options down the road.

Caveats to keep in mind

This is still a rumor. The Information cited anonymous sources, and both Nvidia and Perplexity declined to comment. Deal size and terms are unknown, and there is no guarantee a deal will close. The $750 million revenue figure is self-reported and has not been independently audited. Valuation claims are based on the reported fundraising discussions, not a signed term sheet.