Nvidia's Huang Announces $1.16 Billion for U.K. Startups, Criticizes Europe's AI Pace

The announcement came at an old converted church in West London, where Huang appeared on a pop-up stage before politicians, investors, technology executives and journalists. The named startups are biotechs Prima Mente and Boltz, project delivery platform Foresight, algorithm discovery company Hiverge and quantum company Riverlane. The five companies, along with other unnamed U.K. recipients, will receive $1.16 billion in Nvidia cash.

'We're not your largest investor, but we are your best investor,' Huang told the audience. Pointing at founders, he added, 'I'm gonna invest in you, I'm gonna invest in you.'

Huang singled out Josh Payne, CEO of U.K. neocloud Nscale, in the crowd. 'Last year you were zero,' Huang said, according to CNBC. 'Now look at them,' he said. 'We invested in you, I attracted a whole bunch of investors to you.' Huang said Nscale could become the most valuable British company in a decade.

His remarks mixed praise for Europe's AI potential with criticism. Referring to Germany, Huang said, 'Nothing pains me more, frankly, than to see one of the most technologically advanced countries to be left so far behind in technology.' He also criticized the U.K.'s risk culture, saying that an entrepreneur told of a one-in-a-million chance would focus on the chance, but in the U.K. there were '999,000... reasons to fail.'

Huang's London visit was part of a European tour ahead of Nvidia's GTC event in Berlin next week. Earlier in the week, Nvidia announced stakes in a number of French startups. The company has participated in 116 investment rounds in 2026 so far, up from 12 in 2022, according to Dealroom. Nvidia's investment targets have included OpenAI, Anthropic, Intel and XAI, as it builds holdings across the AI stack.

Nvidia holds a near monopoly over the most powerful AI chips, giving Huang unusual sway in the industry. He regularly courts technology executives and world leaders and has been a near-constant presence at U.S. President Donald Trump's side at state dinners and visits, according to CNBC. In London, after his speech, Huang emerged about 40 minutes late to a media huddle outside the church. He told reporters he and Andy Burnham had a whiskey together, calling Burnham 'a whiskey man,' and said he would meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a couple of days.

Huang spoke to journalists for nearly an hour that evening. CNBC reported he had eaten only 'a quarter of a quarter' of a sandwich that day. He remained bullish on Europe's chances of succeeding with AI, a view that aligns with Nvidia's expanding stakes in the region's most promising startups.