Key Takeaways
- SpaceX (SPCX) is reportedly seeking $40 billion in financing to purchase Nvidia (NVDA) chips, marking one of the largest debt-funded AI infrastructure bets to date.
- Biohub has secured a $1.8 billion investment from the US Government, Google (GOOGL), and Meta (META) to build open-source AI biology datasets for disease research.
- Nvidia (NVDA) is in talks to invest an additional $1 billion in humanoid robotics firm Figure, further expanding its footprint in physical AI.
- The European Central Bank (ECB) reported a €53.4 billion weekly increase in gold and gold receivables, primarily driven by quarterly revaluation adjustments.
- A federal judge has blocked a proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee targeting foreign college graduates, a move that was expected to significantly impact the tech talent pipeline.
SpaceX Targets Massive Debt Raise for AI Expansion
Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX) is reportedly in talks to raise $40 billion to fund a massive acquisition of Nvidia (NVDA) chips. The financing package, expected to be led by Apollo Global Management (APO), includes roughly $10 billion in bank loans and $30 billion in investment-grade debt.
The move highlights the escalating capital requirements of the AI arms race. SpaceX’s credit risk has reached fresh highs following the report, as investors weigh the company's ambitious BBB credit rating against its mounting debt load. The transaction is expected to close in 2027, with Pimco also reportedly among the lenders in discussions.
Nvidia Deepens Bet on Humanoid Robotics
Nvidia (NVDA) is reportedly discussing a further $1 billion investment in Figure, a leading humanoid robotics startup. This follows Figure's recent milestone where its robot headcount surpassed its human staff, and its valuation reached $39 billion.
The investment underscores Nvidia's strategy of becoming the primary compute provider and financial backer for the "physical AI" sector. Analysts suggest that Nvidia's involvement provides Figure with the GPU infrastructure necessary to accelerate its Helix core models for robotic perception and reasoning.
Biohub Secures $1.8 Billion for AI Biology Data
The nonprofit Biohub announced a major $1.8 billion collaboration involving the US Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Google (GOOGL), and Meta (META). The initiative aims to generate predictive AI models of biology to accelerate the treatment of human diseases.
The DOE will contribute $500 million over five years, while Google DeepMind and Meta are collectively investing $300 million. The project focuses on creating massive, open-access datasets—potentially scaling to trillions of cells—to train models that can simulate biological responses digitally.
ECB Gold Reserves Surge on Revaluation
The European Central Bank (ECB) reported that gold and gold receivables held by the Eurosystem rose by €53.4 billion in the week ending October 2, 2026. This sharp increase was attributed to quarterly revaluation adjustments rather than new purchases.
Gold has recently overtaken US Treasuries as the world's second-largest reserve asset, according to recent ECB reports. Central banks continue to favor bullion as a defensive asset amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and a broader global effort to diversify away from the US dollar.
Court Blocks $100,000 Fee for Foreign Graduates
A federal judge in California has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a proposed $100,000 fee for skilled foreign workers and college graduates. The fee, which targeted the H-1B visa and Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs, was intended to curb competition for high-paying domestic roles.
The ruling in Global Nurse Force v. Trump found that the administration failed to follow the required notice-and-comment rulemaking process. Tech industry advocates warned that such a fee would have devastated US competitiveness by deterring international talent from staying in the country after graduation.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.