NVIDIA Backs AI Startup Higgsfield as Jensen Huang Visits Astana

NVIDIA has invested in Higgsfield, an artificial intelligence video-generation startup with a major engineering presence in Kazakhstan, CEO Jensen Huang confirmed during a visit to Astana on Oct. 23. The investment is part of an extension to Higgsfield's $400 million funding round in August, which also attracted investment from venture capital firm TCV. The amount invested by NVIDIA was not disclosed.

The announcement follows a rapid rise in Higgsfield's valuation, which more than quadrupled in around six months to $5.4 billion after its latest fundraising round. The growth has been driven by rising demand for AI-generated content in marketing, advertising and media.

During a fireside chat with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev at the alem.ai International AI Center, Huang explained why NVIDIA decided to back the startup. “The first thing and the last thing is you invest in people, not companies,” said Huang. He praised the founders' vision, and according to Madiyev, the company's average employee age is 25.