Nvidia Shares Gain 1% After $1 Billion Naver Agreement Grows Sovereign-AI Project Pipeline
27 July 2026
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Nvidia Shares Gain 1% After $1 Billion Naver Agreement Grows Sovereign-AI Project Pipeline

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NEW YORK, July 27, 2026, 04:23 EDT — Nvidia shares edged 1% higher in U.S. premarket trading after the company’s $1 billion deal with Naver expanded its sovereign-AI project portfolio.

  • NVIDIA Corporation was up 1.1% at $209.01 in early premarket trading.
  • Naver Corp (KRX:035420) surged over 10% following news that Nvidia plans to acquire a 4.5% ownership stake.
  • The $1 billion outlay represents about 2% of Nvidia’s most recent cash and marketable securities holdings. An additional partner in the project could contribute as much as $9 billion.

Nvidia stock advanced in premarket trade on Monday after the chipmaker expanded efforts in sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure. Shares ended Friday at $206.84, a decline of 0.9%.

Nvidia secures a 4.5% stake in Naver through the acquisition. The deal underpins a 200-megawatt data center growth project featuring Vera Rubin and Blackwell technology.

From an investor perspective, the focus is on balance-sheet leverage.

As of April 26, Nvidia reported $50.3 billion in cash and marketable debt securities. The investment in Naver represents roughly 2% of that total.

The project’s financial backer could contribute as much as $9 billion additionally. According to these conditions, for every dollar from Nvidia, there could be nine dollars in third-party funding.

The funding does not count as Nvidia revenue. The immediate strategic benefit concerns platform choice. Naver intends to use both Rubin and Blackwell technology.

Initial conditions set the issuance of 7.2 million new Naver shares at a price of 204,500 won each, representing a 1% discount from Friday’s closing value. The Sejong facility aims to reach 200 megawatts capacity by 2028.

Market moves last week reflected resilience rather than leadership. Nvidia rose 2.0% from July 17 to Friday, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 2.1%.

InstrumentJuly 24 closeWeekly change
Nvidia $206.84rose 2.0%
Advanced Micro Devices Inc $521.95advanced 5.3%
Broadcom Inc $381.92gained 3.0%
PHLX Semiconductor Index11,818.89up 1.2%
Nasdaq Composite24,975.82fell 2.1%

Weekly shifts are measured using the closing prices from July 17 and July 24.

Nvidia outperformed the wider technology sector, but lagged behind other semiconductor firms. Its gains for the week indicated durability rather than dominance within the sector.

Weekend statements broadened the scope of demand. Nvidia referred to its new South Korean offering as an AI effort valued at more than $500 billion.

SK Telecom Co Ltd intends to launch a two-gigawatt Vera Rubin cloud. SK hynix Inc is set to provide and jointly advance new high-bandwidth memory technology.

Chief Executive Jensen Huang stated, “Together with SK Telecom and SK hynix, we are building a new generation of AI factories.” NVIDIA Investor Relations

The SK framework remains in an early stage. The parties have agreed to letters of intent, and the initial factory is scheduled to open in 2027.

Nvidia’s substantial financial resources enable it to easily absorb the Naver investment. Data-center revenue for the first quarter totaled $75.2 billion, marking a 92% increase from the previous year.

Nvidia projects revenue of $91 billion for the second quarter, with a possible variance of 2%. The forecast does not include any data-center compute revenue from China.

Customer demand is the next key focus. Microsoft Corp , Meta Platforms Inc and Amazon.com Inc are due to report this week. Investors are set to monitor developments in cloud growth and spending on AI.

The risks are evident. Naver’s goal for 2028 is still far off, and SK’s agreement is only at the letter-of-intent phase. Delays to revenue could result from power availability, HBM4 supply, customer returns, and export regulations.

The immediate issue is straightforward. Will Nvidia be able to leverage a modest portion of its balance sheet for significantly larger infrastructure investments?

Related articles: NASDAQ:NVDA

What is the current trading level of Nvidia shares, and how high is the valuation?

Nvidia ended trading on Friday, July 24, at $206.84, down 0.92%, with 114.7 million shares changing hands. The stock is currently 12.6% below its 52-week peak of $236.54. Market capitalization stands near $5.05 trillion, with a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 31.5. Each 1% shift in share price now moves about $50 billion in market cap. NVIDIA Investor Relations

Does the disclosed $250 billion OpenAI support alter the investment outlook?

The Wall Street Journal said discussions are underway for a financing guarantee of about $250 billion. This guarantee is intended to back a 10-gigawatt project in Ohio with a total cost exceeding $500 billion. The outlet also referenced talks involving as much as $350 billion in chip financing. Reuters could not confirm the report, and the parties declined to comment immediately. Such a deal might ensure chip demand but leave Nvidia facing significant financing exposure. No agreement has been finalized. Reuters

Do the new South Korean initiatives have a significant impact on Nvidia’s future revenue?

SK Group and Nvidia unveiled an AI project with a total value topping $500 billion. The venture will include a two-gigawatt complex featuring Rubin chips and HBM4 memory, with the initial facility expected in 2027. Nvidia intends to purchase $1 billion worth of new Naver shares, acquiring a 4.5% stake. Brookfield is considering supplying $9 billion to fund a 200-megawatt Naver expansion targeted for completion by 2028. The headline figures refer to the scale of the undertaking and do not represent Nvidia’s stated revenues. Any immediate earnings effect is likely to remain limited. Reuters

What tech sector results are most likely to impact Nvidia this week?

Microsoft and Meta are set to report results on Wednesday, July 29, after the close of trading. Amazon and Apple will announce earnings on Thursday, July 30. Qualcomm delivers its report this week as well. Investors are watching AI capital expenditures, cloud capacity, and budget plans for 2027. According to Reuters, one in three S&P 500 companies issue results this week. Overall earnings are showing 26.5% year-over-year growth. Enhanced spending plans could benefit Nvidia, while reductions might weigh on the stock. Meta

Which figures does Nvidia need to report on August 26?

Nvidia projects fiscal second-quarter revenue at $91.0 billion, with a possible 2% variance, putting the official outlook between $89.18 billion and $92.82 billion. The midpoint signals a sequential increase of 11.5% compared to first-quarter revenue. The company expects a GAAP gross margin of 74.9%, with a potential swing of 0.5 points. The guidance does not include any Data Center compute revenue from China. Nvidia will release its results on August 26. NVIDIA Investor Relations

Is Nvidia’s expansion sufficiently diverse, or is it overly focused?

Revenue for the first quarter stood at $81.6 billion, rising 85% from a year earlier. Data Center delivered $75.2 billion, up 92% and accounting for 92% of total revenue. Data Center compute brought in $60.4 billion, while networking reached $14.8 billion, up 77% and 199% respectively year over year. Edge Computing added $6.4 billion, increasing 29% over the same period. GAAP gross margin held steady at 74.9%, almost unchanged from the previous quarter. Data Center growth was strong across segments, but overall revenue concentration remains significant. NVIDIA Investor Relations

To what extent has China downside been factored into current guidance?

Nvidia’s guidance for the second quarter factors in no Data Center compute revenue from China, reducing the chance of missing forecasts due to China exposure. A U.S. directive in May addressed a possible foreign licensing gap. In July, the Financial Times reported that Nvidia cut its list of approved Asian clients by more than half. Reuters was unable to verify this report independently, and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China could offer future growth, but regulatory challenges may hinder sales in other regions. NVIDIA Investor Relations

Does AMD’s partnership with Anthropic pose a significant challenge to Nvidia?

AMD is set to provide Anthropic with AI servers worth tens of billions of dollars. Anthropic aims to roll out as much as two gigawatts of MI450 hardware starting in the first half of 2027. AMD could put in $5 billion, depending on deployment goals being met. The deal underlines major AI customers’ interest in having an alternative supplier. However, Anthropic remains a significant Nvidia customer, leasing 300 megawatts with over 220,000 Nvidia chips. This development poses a future market-share risk but does not impact the current quarter. Reuters

Which macro events are likely to drive Nvidia this week?

The Federal Reserve will announce its next policy decision on Wednesday, July 29. Current market pricing points to about a 33% likelihood of a rate hike. Early Monday, the yield on the ten-year Treasury hovered around 4.63%. Brent crude fell 4.7% to $92.27, providing some relief from short-term inflation concerns. Nasdaq futures were up 1.3% ahead of the U.S. market open. Investors are also awaiting preliminary second-quarter GDP figures and June PCE inflation data later in the week. Broader macroeconomic movements may overshadow Nvidia-related developments in the coming days. Reuters

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Roman Perkowski is a senior markets reporter at TS2.tech, specializing in stocks, technology and macroeconomic trends. A graduate of the Cracow University of Economics, he previously worked in investment research and corporate finance. His coverage helps readers understand the key forces driving global financial markets and emerging industries. Follow Roman Perkowski on Google News.

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