Nvidia has surged to prominence in the artificial intelligence sector, becoming one of the most valuable companies in the stock market as technology leaders invest heavily in its chips and data centers essential for AI operations. Currently valued at over $3 trillion, Nvidia solidifies its position as a key player in the AI industry ahead of its upcoming financial results announcement set for Wednesday after market hours.
Analysts predict Nvidia will report second-quarter adjusted earnings of 65 cents per share, a significant increase from 27 cents a year earlier. Revenue is anticipated to jump to $28.74 billion, more than double what it reported in the same quarter last year. In contrast, S&P 500 companies are only expected to show a modest 5% growth in revenue for the quarter, according to FactSet.
Critics argue that the remarkable growth may have created excessive optimism among investors. In the first half of the year, Nvidia’s stock has skyrocketed nearly 150%. As of now, the stock trades at over 100 times the company’s earnings from the previous 12 months, which is significantly higher than historical averages and the overall S&P 500. Analysts caution that there may be a selloff if any signs indicate a reduction in AI demand.
The sales of Nvidia’s specialized chips have been greatly boosted by the rising demand for generative AI products capable of creating documents, generating images, and functioning as personal assistants. Over the past three quarters, Nvidia has seen its revenue more than triple annually, primarily driven by its data center business.
Based in Santa Clara, California, Nvidia established a significant advantage in the AI applications race, partly due to the strategic vision of founder and CEO Jensen Huang, who invested in the pivotal chip technology that underlies the industry’s growth. Nvidia is known for taking bold risks; the introduction of the graphics processor unit (GPU) in 1999 helped ignite the expansion of the PC gaming market and transformed computer graphics.