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Aslan Research · Chips

NVIDIA CORP (NVDA)

Data as of 2026-08-21 · 28 quarters · filed in USD

Revenue reached $252.8 billion over the trailing year, while expenses were $95.0 billion. Revenue grew 67% per year versus 59% for expenses, and total commitments grew 27% per year.

Revenue, last 12 mo $253B to 2026-04-26
Spend, last 12 mo $95B cost + R&D + admin + tax
Debt they report $8.5B balance-sheet borrowings
Money promised $13B debt + leases + purchases
Unrealized revenue $3.1B + $2.6B signed backlog
Due in next 5 years $46B the obligation wall

Earned, collected early, and merely signed

revenue (qtr)deferredsigned backlogQ3 '19Q2 '21Q1 '23Q3 '24Q2 '26$43B$86B

Reports $8.5B of debt; has promised $13B

Total committed money was 1.5x reported debt. The gap reflects $4.3 billion of leases in addition to $8.5 billion of debt.

promisedreported debtQ3 '19Q2 '21Q1 '23Q3 '24Q2 '26$31B$61B

What the promised total is made of, latest quarter

debtleasespurchase deals
today
66%
34%

Spending, by reported line

Cost of revenueR&DSelling & adminTax
2020
50%
34%
13%
2021
51%
32%
16%
2022
55%
31%
13%
2023
55%
35%
12%
2024
52%
27%
8%
13%
2025
54%
21%
19%
2026
58%
17%
20%

When the promises come due

The largest payment band is the next five years, with $46.2 billion due. That obligation can be compared with $3.1 billion of deferred revenue and $2.6 billion of backlog already promised to NVIDIA.

$46Bnext 5 years$734Myears 5–10$0beyond 10$0after yr 5, undated

The rates that matter

Revenue growth /yr 67% 2020-Q2 → 2026-Q2
Expense growth /yr 59%
Promised money /yr 27%
Reported debt /yr 24%
Deferred revenue /yr 52%
Quarters re-stated 9 of 28 by cited reconciliation

Expenses as filed vs after cited reconciliation

$4.2Bfiled2019$4.2Breality2019$8.7Bfiled2020$4.9Breality2020$16Bfiled2021$12Breality2021$21Bfiled2022$18Breality2022$26Bfiled2023$26Breality2023$52Bfiled2024$52Breality2024$94Bfiled2025$64Breality2025$71Bfiled2026$71Breality2026

13 patterns worth a second look

The filings show partner facility-lease guarantees with maximum gross exposure of $3.5 billion, supported by $712 million of escrow. They also show presentation changes for customer concentration and purchase commitments, plus substantive weighted-average diluted-share revisions.

off balance sheet · 2

The FY2026 filing reports guarantees of partners’ facility lease obligations with maximum gross exposure of $3.5 billion and partner escrow of $712 million.

The FY2025 Q3 filing reported a guarantee of a partner’s facility lease obligations with maximum exposure of $860 million.

one time dressing · 3

The FY2023 Q1 filing reported $50 million of sales tied to previously written-off or excess inventory obligations.

The FY2023 Q3 filing reported a $70 million warranty-related benefit in cost of revenue.

The FY2025 Q1 filing reported a $4.5 billion H20-related charge, while the FY2025 Q2 filing reported $650 million of H20 revenue and a $180 million reserve release.

redefinition · 2

The filings changed the presentation of customer concentration from named indirect or direct customers to broader billing-location and headquarters measures.

The filings changed the scope of purchase commitments from inventory and supply obligations plus other obligations to broader manufacturing, supply, capacity, cloud, investment, and other commitments.

related party exposure · 1

The filings report substantial share-sale arrangements by directors and executive officers across multiple periods.

subsequent event · 2

The FY2020 Q1 filing reported a planned $7.0 billion Mellanox acquisition that closed immediately after period end.

The FY2022 Q1 filing reported the Arm transaction termination and a $1.35 billion write-off of the signing prepayment.

tagging quality · 1

7 XBRL facts were reported at inconsistent scales across filings (e.g. us-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding).

value revision · 1

The weighted-average diluted-share revisions are substantive share-count restatements rather than clerical formatting changes.

vanishing item · 1

The filings reported an Arm acquisition commitment through FY2021, followed by termination-cost disclosures and no continuing acquisition commitment.

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