Nvidia became the first chipmaker to surpass a $3 trillion market capitalization.
Nvidia crossed the threshold in June 2024, during a surge in demand for its graphics processors and data-center systems used in artificial-intelligence computing. Its shares rose sharply as investors anticipated continued spending on AI infrastructure by technology companies and cloud providers.
Nvidia was founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem. It first became widely known for graphics processing units used in video games, but GPUs later proved highly effective for parallel mathematical calculations in machine learning.
The company is sometimes described simply as a graphics-card maker, although that description is incomplete. Its business also includes data-center hardware, networking technology, software platforms, and automotive computing. Market capitalization rankings can change quickly when a fast-growing stock rises or falls.