Nvidia was the first publicly traded semiconductor maker to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization.
Nvidia crossed the $1 trillion threshold in May 2023, after investors placed enormous value on its graphics processors and their role in artificial-intelligence computing. The milestone made Nvidia one of the most valuable chip companies ever traded publicly.
Nvidia’s products are designed rather than manufactured entirely in its own factories. Like many “fabless” semiconductor companies, it relies on specialist foundries for production while concentrating on chip architecture, software, and systems. That business model differs from integrated manufacturers such as Intel and foundries such as TSMC.
Nvidia was founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem. Its CUDA platform helped developers use GPUs for general-purpose parallel computing, creating an important bridge from gaming graphics to data centers and AI.