November 3 — People familiar with the matter say that before the nearly $103 billion merger was finalized, the heads of Marvell Technology (MRVL.O) and Lumentum had secured the support of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Marvell CEO Matt Murphy and Lumentum CEO Michael Hurlston spoke with Huang by phone to seek his input before the deal was announced. Hurlston said Monday that NVIDIA's response was very positive, and he believes the merger will allow the combined company to offer NVIDIA a more diversified product lineup more quickly. The transaction ranks as the second-largest M&A deal in tech history, and Huang's endorsement underscores NVIDIA's active role, as an AI leader, in driving consolidation among its key suppliers. Earlier this year, NVIDIA invested $2 billion in each of Marvell and Lumentum.