Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that Nvidia is in discussions to invest in Mercor at a $20 billion valuation, and neither company has confirmed that any deal has been agreed or closed.
- The talks are described by sources as strategic rather than a routine funding round, which could signal closer commercial integration or a path toward greater ownership over Mercor’s services.
- Mercor posted very rapid growth in 2026, reporting $614 million in gross revenue in the first half of the year and a projected $2 billion annualized run rate by June.
- The startup supplies specialized, human-labeled training data to major model builders including OpenAI, Anthropic and Nvidia, and Mercor earned tens of millions from Nvidia in the last quarter as the chipmaker develops its Nemotron models.
- Mercor faces at least seven class-action lawsuits tied to an alleged data breach that plaintiffs say exposed contractor recordings and biometrics, a legal risk that could complicate any closer tie with Nvidia.