Nvidia is now the world's largest company- It has surpassed
Apple - The company is ahead in the AI race
In 2024, AI is the talk of the tech world and more and more companies are investing heavily in the emerging technology. But at the middle of the AI boom is Jensen Huang's Nvidia. And now, the company has claimed the top spot as the world’s largest company by market capitalisation, surpassing Apple in a significant shift propelled by surging demand for AI technology.
Nvidia overtakes Apple as world's largest company
On Tuesday, Nvidia’s market cap hit $3.43 trillion, narrowly edging out Apple’s $3.38 trillion valuation. This milestone follows Nvidia’s previous brief leap over Apple in June, highlighting the fierce competition between these tech giants.
According to a report in IANS, CEO Jensen Huang attributed the company’s rapid growth to the strong demand for its Hopper chips and anticipation for the upcoming Blackwell generation. These chips power AI research and data-heavy applications globally, solidifying Nvidia’s role in modernising data centres and expanding computing power.
"Hopper demand remains strong, and the anticipation for Blackwell is incredible,” Huang said and added, “Nvidia achieved record revenues as global data centers are in full throttle to modernise the entire computing stack with accelerated computing and generative AI.”
Nvidia’s revenue figures back its impressive rise. In the second quarter ending July 28, the company reported a 15% quarterly growth and a massive 122% increase year-over-year, reaching $30 billion in revenue. For fiscal 2025, the outlook remains strong, with expected third-quarter earnings of around $32.5 billion. The company has also returned $15.4 billion to shareholders in the form of buybacks and dividends during the first half of fiscal 2025, maintaining a solid position of $7.5 billion left under its share repurchase plan.
Why is Nvidia ahead in the AI race?
The company has been a frontrunner in the AI race as it makes advanced computer chips that power AI technologies. These chips are essential for running complex AI tasks, like training large language models (e.g., ChatGPT) and supporting advanced data processing in data centres. Nvidia’s GPUs (graphics processing units) are particularly good at handling many tasks at once, making them ideal for AI work. While other companies also make computer chips, Nvidia’s focus on innovation in AI hardware has allowed it to stand out and stay ahead of the competition.
On a related note, Apple has also made strides in the market with its smaller-scale AI efforts like Apple Intelligence, which was rolled out to users recently. Microsoft, another major contender, holds a market cap of $3.06 trillion and remains a strong player in the tech landscape.