# Groq Raises $350M at $3.5B — Half Its Peak, Now Nvidia’s Cluster Landlord

Times of AI Desk · 2026-08-17 · Work

[https://timesof.ai/2026/08/groq-350-million-series-a](https://timesof.ai/2026/08/groq-350-million-series-a)

> Groq closed a $350 million Series A led by Disruptive with planned Nvidia participation, valuing the inference operator at $3.5 billion — about half its 2025 peak after Nvidia’s licensing deal hired away founder Jonathan Ross — and bringing 2026 capital to $1 billion as it targets 200+ MW in 2027.

Nvidia already **gutted** Groq-the-chip-challenger and is now **writing a smaller check** into Groq-the-cluster-landlord. That is the 2026 pattern: custom-silicon rivals become **distribution** for Nvidia racks.

**Groq** announced a **$350 million Series A** led by **Disruptive**, with **planned participation from Nvidia**, valuing the company at **$3.5 billion**. Combined with **$650 million** raised in **June 2026**, Groq has taken **$1 billion** this year. The firm now runs **13 data centers** and claims **six million** developers; it plans to grow from **54 MW** to **200+ MW in 2027**, selling **Nvidia-accelerated** clusters as an **NVIDIA Cloud Partner**. **Subject to customary closing conditions.** The **$3.5B** mark is roughly **half** the **$6.9B** Groq hit in **September 2025**, before Nvidia’s **~$20B licensing** deal hired **Jonathan Ross** and much of the chip team.

## The round vs the old Groq

| Item | Detail (Groq newsroom / TechCrunch / Bloomberg) |
|------|--------------------------------------------------|
| **Amount / post-money** | **$350M** / **$3.5B** |
| **Lead** | **Disruptive** (Alex Davis is Groq **executive chairman**) |
| **Nvidia** | **Planned** participation; Groq is an **NCP** |
| **YTD capital** | **$350M + $650M (June) = $1B** |
| **Footprint** | **13** DCs, NA / Europe / ME / APAC; **54 MW → 200+ MW (2027)** |
| **Customers** | **6M** developers; Fortune 500; “trillions of tokens” per week (company claim) |
| **Prior peak** | **$6.9B** (Sept 2025); then Nvidia license + talent lift |

This is **financing of a neocloud**, not a new Groq LPU SKU. Distinct from CoreWeave Q2 (Aug 11) and Nvidia’s PORTS-Pike same-day Ohio close.

## Limits

- “Planned” Nvidia check is not a confirmed close.
- Valuation reset is the story as much as the raise.
- Whether 200 MW actually lands in 2027 is open.

## Sources

- [Groq: Closes $350 million Series A (August 17, 2026)](https://groq.com/newsroom/groq-closes-usd350-million-series-a-building-the-world-s-leading-ai-inference-cloud)
- [TechCrunch: Groq raises $350M to fuel its pivot from AI chips to neocloud (August 17, 2026)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/groq-raises-350m-to-fuel-its-pivot-from-ai-chips-to-neocloud/)
- [Bloomberg: Groq valued at $3.5 billion after Nvidia deal (August 17, 2026)](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/groq-valued-3-5-billion-123000885.html)