NEW YORK, Feb 18, 2026, 16:06 EST — Trading after the bell.
- Nvidia shares moved up post-market following news of a multiyear supply deal with Meta, set to deliver millions of AI chips.
- Nvidia is stretching further past its GPU roots with this deal, making a move into data-center CPUs—a territory where Intel and AMD have long held sway.
- Next up: Nvidia’s numbers on Feb. 25. Investors want clues on demand and margins.
Nvidia climbed 1.6% to $187.94 in after-hours action Wednesday, following word of a multiyear agreement to supply Meta Platforms with millions of AI chips. That move came just after the 4 p.m. ET close. (MarketScreener)
Why does the tie-up matter right now? The AI trade has been jumpy. Data center and software stocks have swung wildly around one big question: when will all those trillions in investment finally show up as lasting profit?
Meta isn’t letting up on the spending front. The Facebook parent has signaled to investors that AI infrastructure investments could climb to $135 billion by 2026, which puts supply, power demands, and chip monetization timelines right back under scrutiny. (Financial Times)
Nvidia announced that its agreement with Meta spans millions of AI chips—both current and future units. That includes its Blackwell lineup, plus the upcoming Rubin processors. Central processors Grace and Vera are also part of the package. No details on the deal’s price tag; Nvidia did point out that Meta continues to work on its own AI chips, and referenced Google’s TPUs in the mix. “Meta has already had a chance to get on Vera … and the results look very promising,” said Ian Buck, Nvidia’s general manager for hyperscale and high-performance computing. (Reuters)
The same story played out across the wider market. Wall Street’s main benchmarks finished higher Wednesday, pushed up by Nvidia and other big tech names. Shares tied to AI storage, including Sandisk, Western Digital, and Seagate, also advanced, with the PHLX semiconductor index in the green. “They were expensive and they’ve gotten cheaper,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird, referring to tech stocks as buyers stepped back in. Traders combed through Fed minutes that showed most officials favored holding rates steady, leaving investors to hash out when the next cut might come. (Reuters)
Meta stock finished the session with a gain, adding roughly 0.7% to close at $643.85.
Rivals headed lower. AMD dropped roughly 1.7%, while Intel was off about 1.6%. The moves highlight just how tightly investors are linking Nvidia’s CPU narrative to the broader data center battle.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described the collaboration as an extensive push into both hardware and networking. “No one deploys AI at Meta’s scale,” he said. (Investors)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pitched the broadened partnership as a way to “deliver personal superintelligence to everyone in the world.” Investors, already on edge about the possibility of top clients looking elsewhere instead of sticking with Nvidia’s platform, took note. (Barron’s)
The agreement leaves Meta exposed to risk on the downside. The company continues to push ahead with its own chip development, and the sector is weighing how much alternative silicon and stricter financing might hamper progress on AI expansion. Companies keep touting efficiency gains, both in power and cost. (The Verge)
Feb. 25 looms large—that’s when Nvidia will deliver its quarterly results after the bell, with investors watching closely to see if demand, including sizable orders from Meta, is expanding. The numbers could clarify how Nvidia’s supply, pricing, and forward guidance stack up heading toward 2026. (Fool)
