Nvidia Wins Modal as a Vera CPU Customer, Challenging Intel and AMD in the AI-Agent Processor Race
Nvidia secured new CPU business from AI cloud startup Modal, which said early tests showed Nvidia's Vera CPU doubled AI agent workloads versus its Intel and AMD chips. Modal will add Vera alongside its existing suppliers.
Nvidia (NVDA) secured new CPU business from AI cloud startup Modal, challenging Intel (INTC) and AMD (AMD) as demand grows for processors that power autonomous AI agents. Modal said early tests showed Nvidia's Vera CPU doubled AI agent workloads compared with its existing Intel and AMD chips. The performance claim comes from Modal, not from an independent benchmark.
What Modal is doing with Vera
Modal will add Vera alongside its Intel and AMD processors and will select hardware based on performance, not replace its existing suppliers. That limits the immediate threat to Intel and AMD, but it puts Nvidia in the mix at a fast-growing customer. Modal recently raised $750 million at a $15.75 billion valuation, reports 15 times annual revenue growth and projects $1 billion in sales over the next year.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Performance | Modal said early tests showed Vera doubled AI agent workloads versus its existing Intel and AMD chips |
| Deployment | Vera will run alongside Intel and AMD processors, chosen by performance rather than as a replacement |
| Modal funding | $750 million raised at a $15.75 billion valuation |
| Modal growth | 15x annual revenue growth; projecting $1 billion in sales over the next year |
| Nvidia outlook | At least $20 billion in Vera sales this fiscal year; CPU market valued at about $200 billion |
| Other Vera users | OpenAI, Anthropic and Oracle also plan to use Vera |
Why it matters for Intel and AMD
CPUs have long been the part of the data center where Intel and AMD dominate, while Nvidia's strength has been in GPUs. AI agents spend much of their time running software, calling tools and managing tasks, work that leans on CPUs, which is why demand for these processors is rising. Nvidia's forecast of at least $20 billion in Vera sales this fiscal year, and a list of customers that includes OpenAI, Anthropic and Oracle, shows how seriously it is pursuing that market. We did not find a verified premarket price move for NVDA, INTC or AMD tied to this news, so none is reported here.
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