Nvidia Weighs Deeper Bet on Reflection AI

Nvidia is in early talks to deepen its investment in Reflection AI, the US-based open-weight artificial intelligence startup it already helps bankroll. The discussions signal the chipmaker’s intent to tighten its grip on a company central to its strategy of building a Western counterweight to China’s open-source AI efforts.

The conversations remain at a preliminary stage, and any deal could take several shapes. Notably, one option under consideration is an acqui-hire arrangement, in which Nvidia would hire Reflection’s staff and license its technology rather than pursue a full takeover. The structure would let Nvidia absorb talent and intellectual property while sidestepping a lengthy regulatory review.

Nvidia is no newcomer to Reflection. It is already a major financial backer and strategic investor, having committed $800 million as lead investor in a round that valued the startup at $8 billion in late 2025. By 2026, Reflection was reportedly chasing a far larger raise at a valuation of up to $25 billion.

Founded in 2024 by former Google DeepMind researchers Misha Laskin and Ioannis Antonoglou, Reflection builds open-weight AI models that companies and governments can run on their own servers. Its backers include Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

The talks also highlight Nvidia’s deepening role as both supplier and financier across the AI ecosystem, a pattern critics flag as circular, since Reflection is also a heavy buyer of Nvidia chips.

Whether the talks yield an acqui-hire, a larger stake or nothing at all, they underscore how fiercely Nvidia is working to lock in frontier AI talent and influence.