Nvidia discussed investing another $1 billion in Figure AI
The chipmaker already backed the humanoid robotics startup's Series C and supplies the hardware behind its Helix AI models
Nvidia has discussed putting another $1 billion into Figure AI, the humanoid robotics startup founded by Brett Adcock in 2022. The talks have not been confirmed, and no deal terms have surfaced.
Nvidia is not a newcomer to Figure’s cap table. In September 2025, it joined Figure’s Series C funding round. That round raised over $1 billion and gave the company a post-money valuation of $39 billion.
Across its history, Figure has raised approximately $1.9 billion. Earlier backers include Microsoft, the OpenAI Startup Fund, and Intel Capital.
Nvidia’s role goes beyond writing checks. The chipmaker is a key technology provider for Figure’s Helix AI models and for its robot deployments. Helix is Figure’s foundation model, the general-purpose AI brain meant to let its humanoids handle a wide range of tasks rather than one narrow job.
The Nscale deal and the compute arms race
On September 3, 2026, Figure announced a strategic partnership with Nscale, a UK-based AI cloud provider.
Under the agreement, Nscale is providing an initial $3.5 billion in AI compute capacity. That commitment can expand beyond $6 billion.
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Nscale plans to deploy up to 100,000 Nvidia Vera Rubin GPUs, with initial projects targeted for the second half of 2027 in Barstow, Texas.
Nscale will also take an equity stake in Figure and become its preferred computing partner.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the partnership allows Figure to train models on Nvidia Vera Rubin and then deploy them on Nvidia GPUs inside Figure’s robots.
Why Figure needs this much firepower
Figure’s stated priorities are scaling production of its humanoid robots and advancing Helix. The company has pointed to two main bottlenecks: it needs more data and more computing resources to speed up development.
Unlike chatbots, robots cannot learn everything from text scraped off the internet. They need physical-world data and the compute to process it.
What this means for Nvidia, Figure, and the robotics race
The timeline also deserves attention. The Nscale GPU deployments are slated to begin in the second half of 2027.
Key things to watch: whether the reported $1 billion talks turn into a confirmed deal, what valuation any new money would carry relative to the $39 billion Series C mark, and whether the Barstow buildout stays on schedule for 2027.