AI Weekly Issue #525: Nvidia may buy into Perplexity above $30B before Wednesday's earnings

The Information reports that Nvidia is discussing an equity investment in Perplexity at a valuation above $30 billion. Perplexity's annualized revenue has reportedly passed $750 million, up from less than $250 million at the start of 2026. Separately, Bloomberg says SoftBank plans a record ¥1 trillion, or $6.3 billion, retail bond to help repay the bridge loan behind its OpenAI stake and fund more AI deals. Put together, the signals expose next week's capital split: the chip supplier is moving toward the product layer, while the frontier investor is asking Japanese savers to finance its bets. Nvidia reports Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET. Listen for whether management now talks like a supplier, an investor, or both.