Nvidia and Perplexity AI Explore Licensing Deal Valuing Startup at $30B

Nvidia is in discussions with Perplexity AI on a licensing agreement that could value the AI-powered search startup at over $30 billion. If the deal closes near that level, the valuation would imply about a 57x jump from Perplexity’s roughly $520 million Series B valuation in January 2024. Nvidia previously invested in Perplexity’s Series B round, which raised $73.6 million at the same ~$520 million valuation. Beyond funding, Nvidia supported Perplexity through its NVIDIA Inception program, providing access to AI hardware, software tools, and go-to-market assistance. Perplexity’s valuation trajectory cited in the article shows rapid growth: about $9 billion by late 2024, then roughly $14 billion to $18 billion by mid-2025, and an estimated $20 billion to $23 billion by early 2026. The company has reportedly raised more than $1.5 billion from backers including Jeff Bezos and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. The proposed structure matters because it is described as a licensing-plus-funding arrangement rather than a straightforward equity investment. As of now, neither Nvidia nor Perplexity has publicly confirmed a completed deal.