This AI startup has roughly 50 employees, no product and has never published a word of research. It's worth $32 billion

Nvidia is reportedly investing astir $5 cardinal successful SSI, the highly secretive AI institution founded by erstwhile OpenAI main idiosyncratic Ilya Sutskever, according to Bloomberg. Alongside the investment, SSI volition summation entree to Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform, which the companies accidental volition summation its computing capableness tenfold.

"We person probe that is worthy of scaling up, and having entree to a large NVIDIA machine volition fto america bash so," Sutskever said successful a property merchandise issued by Nvidia and SSI. "We're incredibly arrogant to beryllium partnering with Jensen and the NVIDIA team, and we are assured that our large stake connected the Vera Rubin level volition instrumentality america to the adjacent level."

Founded successful 2024, SSI is taking what it calls a "straight shot" astatine gathering harmless and aligned artificial superintelligence. That means focusing connected probe alternatively than releasing commercialized products oregon chasing short-term revenue.

Pressure is connected

Nvidia's concern successful SSI is the latest motion of conscionable however overmuch wealth is pouring into artificial intelligence. Global backstage concern successful AI reached $344.7 cardinal successful 2025, up 127.5% from the twelvemonth before, according to Stanford University's 2026 AI Index.

Within months of launching, the startup raised $1 cardinal astatine a valuation of astir $5 billion. Seven months later, different $2 cardinal backing circular pushed that fig to $32 cardinal — a 540% leap earlier the institution had released a merchandise oregon published immoderate research.

Behind that valuation is simply a tiny team. Sutskever launched SSI with Daniel Gross, a erstwhile Apple AI executive, and Daniel Levy, a erstwhile OpenAI researcher. Gross initially oversaw fundraising and computing needs, portion Sutskever and Levy led the research. Gross has since near the company.

That leaves SSI nether unit to beryllium it's worthy the terms tag. The nonstop presumption of Nvidia's concern person not been disclosed, though the Financial Times reported that commitments of this size are often tied to a startup reaching definite milestones.