NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 18:08 ET — Market closed.
- Nvidia shares last closed up 1.0% at $190.53 after a Groq licensing agreement put AI “inference” chips back in focus. Nasdaq+1
- The deal brings Groq founder Jonathan Ross and other executives to Nvidia, while Groq stays independent.
- Investors turn to the final three sessions of 2025 and a data-heavy week that includes U.S. housing data and Fed minutes.
Nvidia (NVIDIA Corporation) shares last closed up 1.0% at $190.53 on Friday, outperforming a flat broader market after news of a licensing deal with AI chip startup Groq.
The move matters because it highlights Nvidia’s effort to defend its lead in artificial intelligence computing as more workloads shift toward “inference” — the step where trained AI models generate answers for users in real time — a segment where Nvidia faces intensifying competition. Reuters
The announcement hit in thin, post-holiday trading, with investors also watching for a seasonal “Santa Claus rally,” a period that tracks the S&P 500’s performance in the final five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year. Reuters
Groq said it entered a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nvidia for Groq’s inference technology. Groq said founder Jonathan Ross, Groq President Sunny Madra and other team members will join Nvidia to help scale the licensed technology.
Groq said it will continue to operate as an independent company with Simon Edwards stepping in as chief executive, and that GroqCloud will operate without interruption.
Reuters has reported that large technology companies have increasingly used licensing deals and senior hires to gain access to startups’ technology and talent without buying the whole business, a structure that can draw regulatory scrutiny but may reduce antitrust friction compared with outright acquisitions.
On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.04%, the S&P 500 fell 0.03% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.09%, according to Reuters. “We had a very strong five-day rally, so in a way we’re just simply catching our breath today after the holiday,” said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group. Reuters
Nvidia’s rise came as investors weighed how chipmakers position for the next phase of AI spending, with rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices and a growing group of startups aiming to capture inference demand.
Traders will be watching for any further detail on the financial terms of Nvidia’s Groq agreement and whether regulators take a closer look at “acqui-hire” structures in the sector. Reuters
Before Monday’s open, investors are bracing for potentially choppy, low-liquidity year-end trading. Reuters noted just three sessions remain in 2025, and U.S. pending home sales data is due at 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday.
Markets are also set to parse the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting next week for clues on the rate outlook, Reuters reported, alongside broader focus on U.S. monetary policy into 2026.
Nvidia’s next major scheduled catalyst is its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results on Feb. 25, according to its investor relations calendar. Shares traded between $188.00 and $192.69 on Friday, levels traders may watch when regular trading resumes.
