• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
TechAI

Larry Ellison and Elon Musk ‘begged’ Nvidia’s Jensen Huang for more GPUs over a fancy sushi dinner

Amanda Gerut
By
Amanda Gerut
Amanda Gerut
News Editor, West Coast
Down Arrow Button Icon
Amanda Gerut
By
Amanda Gerut
Amanda Gerut
News Editor, West Coast
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 16, 2024, 8:50 PM ET
Larry Ellison is seen in a gray shirt.
"Please take our money," Oracle's executive chairman Larry Ellison (pictured) said to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The secret to getting more of the highly coveted Nvidia graphics processing units essential for advancing artificial intelligence and machine learning might be yellowtail sashimi. 

Recommended Video

At a meeting with analysts last week, billionaire Oracle cofounder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison told the audience that he and world’s-richest-man Elon Musk took Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang out to dinner at Nobu Palo Alto and “begged” Huang to give them more GPUs.

“I would describe the dinner as Oracle—me and Elon begging Jensen for GPUs,” Ellison recalled. “Please take our money. Please take our money. By the way, I got dinner. No, no, take more of it. We need you to take more of our money please.” 

The outcome was a net positive, said Ellison. “It went ok. I mean, it worked.”

Ellison, whose famed fortune is estimated to be $206 billion, is a prominent figure in the tech industry and serves as executive chairman of enterprise software firm Oracle. He is known for anticipating significant technological shifts, including accurately positioning the $475 billion tech giant to reap the benefits of the internet in its early days. He has further solidified the company by shifting it to capitalize on the surging need for cloud-based enterprise infrastructure. The company has maintained a strong relationship with Nvidia, which controls more than 80% of the AI chip market, and is the prime choice for companies working on AI.  

At last week’s meeting Ellison said the competitive landscape won’t hinder Oracle’s growth. The simplest way of looking at it, Ellison replied, is the phrase,“the race goes on.” He likened the current competition in AI to a Formula One driving race. 

“You’ve got three people on the podium, but there’s really kind of one winner,” said Ellison. “Someone is going to be better at this than anyone else, and multiple people are trying and there is a race.”

For its part, Oracle is making gargantuan investments in GPU technology, particularly for AI applications. The tech giant this month announced its first quarter results for fiscal 2025 and disclosed revenues were up 7% to $13.3 billion, year-over-year. Profits were $2.9 billion. Oracle also disclosed that it has 162 cloud datacenters in operation or under construction around the world and the largest of its datacenters is 800 megawatts and will house “acres of Nvidia GPU clusters” used to train large-scale AI models. In the first quarter, Oracle signed 42 more cloud GPU contracts, totaling $3 billion. 

Similarly, Tesla, where Musk serves as CEO, relies on Nvidia GPUs to power the supercomputers that train its neural networks for self-driving and assisted driving technology. 

According to Ellison, being the first to build the most capable neural network in the world “is a big deal.” Given the desire to be at the forefront, many executives in AI are begging Huang for GPUs and building datacenters, he said. 

“Does anyone know what it costs to build a frontier model over the next three years?” Ellison was referring to the most advanced, bleeding-edge AI systems.

“One hundred billion,” said Ellison. “That’s going to get you in the game.”

“Not a lot of people and not a lot of companies and not a lot of countries will participate.”

An Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment and Tesla did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request.

About the Author
Amanda Gerut
By Amanda GerutNews Editor, West Coast

Amanda Gerut is the west coast editor at Fortune, overseeing publicly traded businesses, executive compensation, Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, and investigations.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

jensen
AINvidia
Jensen Huang on his relationship with Trump: ‘calls me in the middle of the night’
By Josh Boak and The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
37 minutes ago
Ned Koh turns in his chair, smiling.
AIBrainstorm Tech
A 21-year-old cofounder’s sales pitch to clients begs them to question the company’s results: ‘Do not trust us. Do not trust our model’
By Eva RoytburgJune 17, 2026
48 minutes ago
Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and chief executive officer of Perplexity
SuccessCareers
‘I have nothing to lose’: Perplexity CEO says fear of failure is ‘the stupidest thing’ holding you back
By Emma BurleighJune 17, 2026
1 hour ago
Steve Ballmer
SuccessCareers
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer once mocked Google Chrome, calling it a ‘rounding error’—Google CEO says the jab became fuel to keep going
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
2 hours ago
bores
PoliticsElections
OpenAI’s backers spent $7.6 million to destroy a state legislator. Anthropic spent $10 million to rescue him
By Matt Brown, Anthony Izaguirre, Nicholas Riccardi and The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
2 hours ago
The global under-16 social media ban Is no longer a fringe policy
EuropeSocial Media
The global under-16 social media ban Is no longer a fringe policy
By The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AI
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'
Startups & Venture
Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'
By Emma HinchliffeJune 13, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.