Nvidia is testing Intel's 14A process node for AI chip production while building certification and validation standards that lock competitors to Nvidia-vetted suppliers.
Nvidia is broadening its influence over AI infrastructure across two fronts: evaluating Intel's cutting-edge manufacturing process for future chips while rolling out a certification program that governs how power and cooling systems connect to AI data centers.
The stock closed Friday at EUR 197.76, up 0.2% from the prior session and 2.3% below its 52-week high of EUR 202.50.
**Intel's 14A Process Draws Scrutiny From Chip Designers**
In a research note Friday, Piper Sandler identified Nvidia among major technology companies conducting a technical review of Intel's 14A production node. Media reports place Nvidia alongside Amazon, Apple, AMD, Google, Tesla, Microsoft, and Qualcomm — a group whose potential orders would substantially validate Intel's foundry ambitions.
**Glass-Core Substrates Eyed to Lift HBM Capacity**
Equipment maker SCHMID Group detailed its role in the global semiconductor supply chain during Thursday's first-half earnings presentation. The company works closely with suppliers of specialized manufacturing equipment for glass-core substrates, components that feed the supply chains of Nvidia, AMD, and Intel.
Nvidia is reportedly weighing adoption of glass substrates to substantially increase the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) capacity on its AI processors. According to the equipment supplier, however, the rollout remains in an early stage, with final customer qualification still pending.
**DSX Ready Sets Standards for Power and Cooling**
Beyond chipmaking, Nvidia is extending its reach into the infrastructure surrounding its accelerators. Launched Monday, the DSX Ready program specifies standards for battery storage and coolant distribution units, qualifying energy and cooling systems for AI factories. The initiative aims to ensure that external components such as power supplies and cooling equipment meet the technical demands of modern high-performance computing.
Hardware partners are already responding. LG Electronics said Tuesday that it had certified a 2.6-megawatt cooling unit to DSX Ready standards.
**Server Shipments Ramp as Huawei Circles**
Delivery of next-generation servers is accelerating in parallel. Super Micro Computer announced Wednesday that it is shipping systems with Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 racks to customers.
Competition from abroad is emerging. Huawei said on September 17 that it plans to bring its Ascend 960 AI chip to market as early as 2027.
**Grid Strain Debate and a $300 Million Insider Sale**
The surging energy appetite of large-scale computing is drawing scrutiny. Josh Parker of Nvidia told Axios that artificially slowing the buildout to relieve pressure on power grids would jeopardize innovation — including clean energy technologies that depend on AI.
On the corporate side, a substantial transaction emerged from within the company. An SEC filing shows that Nvidia director Mark A. Stevens sold 1,366,000 shares on September 18, valued at approximately $300.1 million.