NVIDIA is reportedly in talks to invest in Perplexity AI, with the proposed funding round potentially valuing the AI startup at more than $30 billion. The discussions come as Perplexity continues to expand its AI search business and build new products around AI agents. The company was valued at $20 billion in its previous financing round in 2025. A new valuation above $30 billion would represent an increase of more than 50% in about a year.
Perplexity has also recorded strong revenue growth in 2026. Its annualized revenue has risen to more than $750 million from less than $250 million at the beginning of the year. Part of the increase has been driven by Perplexity Computer, an AI agent that helps professionals automate computer-based tasks. The company is now building a business that goes beyond answering search queries, with products designed to help users research information and complete tasks.
Perplexity Moves Beyond AI Search
Perplexity started with a simple proposition: use artificial intelligence to provide direct answers to questions instead of sending users through a list of search results. The company has since expanded that model. Its newer products are designed to handle more complex requests and perform tasks on behalf of users. Perplexity Computer is one example, allowing professionals to automate computer-based work through an AI agent.
This gives Perplexity a wider opportunity in the AI market. Search remains an important part of the business, but the company is also competing in a growing market for AI assistants and software agents. The change is important for the company's business model. An AI agent can require significantly more computing resources than a simple search query, particularly when it needs to process multiple steps, use different tools or complete a task on a user's behalf.
Why NVIDIA Is Looking at Perplexity
NVIDIA has built much of its business around the computing infrastructure required to develop and run AI systems. Perplexity's growth gives the chipmaker another connection to the companies creating demand for that infrastructure.
The two companies have also developed closer business ties. According to the media reports, NVIDIA previously considered paying Perplexity billions of dollars to license some of its technology and hiring some of its employees. The latest discussions are focused on an equity investment in the startup.
For NVIDIA, an investment would provide a direct financial interest in a fast-growing AI application company. For Perplexity, having NVIDIA as an investor could strengthen its relationship with one of the world's leading AI infrastructure companies.
Perplexity's Valuation Could Rise More Than 50%
The proposed funding would give Perplexity a significant valuation increase. The company completed financing at a $20 billion valuation in 2025. A valuation above $30 billion would put Perplexity among the most highly valued private AI companies and represent growth of more than 50% from its previous financing.
The company's revenue growth is one of the factors supporting the higher valuation. Annualized revenue has increased from below $250 million to more than $750 million since the beginning of 2026. The rise has been supported in part by Perplexity Computer and the company's expanding AI product portfolio.
Perplexity is also attracting high-profile investors. Its backers include Jeff Bezos and SoftBank Group, adding to the company's list of major financial supporters.
The Infrastructure Race Behind the Growth
Perplexity's expansion is occurring alongside a growing need for computing infrastructure. The company has expanded its cloud relationships, including a reported $750 million agreement involving Microsoft's Azure infrastructure. As Perplexity adds more AI-powered features and agentic workloads, the cost and scale of inference become increasingly important to its business model. That creates a natural strategic connection with NVIDIA.
The chipmaker has increasingly positioned its technology around the next phase of AI computing, including infrastructure designed for inference and agentic workloads. NVIDIA's Vera CPU, for example, was introduced as a platform built for agentic AI, reinforcement learning and large-scale data processing.
Perplexity Has Its Eyes on 2028
The funding discussions also come as Perplexity looks toward a potential public-market debut. CEO Aravind Srinivas has said the company is targeting an IPO in 2028 and that its plans are not dependent on whether rivals such as OpenAI or Anthropic go public first.
A new funding round at a valuation above $30 billion would give Perplexity additional capital to invest in product development, infrastructure and its growing enterprise business ahead of a potential public listing.
NVIDIA Is Moving Beyond the Chip
NVIDIA's interest in Perplexity comes as the company continues to expand its presence across the AI industry. Its business is no longer limited to supplying GPUs and data-center hardware. NVIDIA is also investing in AI companies, working with developers and building partnerships across different parts of the technology ecosystem.
Perplexity gives NVIDIA exposure to the application side of that market. Its products are used directly by consumers and businesses, while its growing focus on AI agents places it in an area that is attracting significant attention from technology companies and investors.
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