American multinational corporation and technology company, Nvidia, has become the world’s first publicly traded company to hit a $4 trillion market valuation, surpassing tech giants Apple and Microsoft.
The US chipmaker achieved the feat on Wednesday after its shares rose 2.5% at market open, pushing its valuation past the $4 trillion threshold and setting a new intraday record high.
The company’s rapid ascent has been fuelled by soaring demand for its AI-focused chips, which power data centres used by firms like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.
Nvidia’s remarkable growth, roughly 20% this year alone outpaced Apple and Microsoft, who had been vying with the company for the title of most valuable.
Apple, which began the year as the world’s most valuable firm with a market cap of around $3.9 trillion, slipped amid economic headwinds linked to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
Nvidia and Microsoft have traded top spots in recent months, but Nvidia surged ahead to make history.
“There is one company in the world that is the foundation for the AI Revolution and that is Nvidia,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a research note on June 27.
Nvidia reported $44.1 billion in revenue for the quarter ending in April, a 69% increase compared to the same period last year.
Its continued success has also placed CEO Jensen Huang among the world’s wealthiest, with Bloomberg pegging his net worth at $140 billion, making him the tenth richest person globally as of Tuesday.
According to the BBC, the company, originally known for its high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) used by gamers, has since evolved into a key player in AI development.
At its annual developers conference in March, Nvidia announced Blackwell Ultra — an update to its flagship chip — which it says will enhance AI models capable of more complex reasoning.
Nvidia’s rising influence has also brought it closer to the political spotlight. Huang met with President Trump and joined him during a high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia in May.
The company is a partner in Project Stargate, a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative announced by Trump in January.
Despite its success, Nvidia has faced setbacks. Chinese startup DeepSeek rattled investors earlier this year with a powerful, low-cost AI model, prompting a temporary plunge in Nvidia’s stock.
Additionally, US export restrictions on its H20 AI chips to China cost the company $2.5 billion in missed revenue in the April quarter.
Nvidia’s shares fell as much as 37% between January and April amid growing concerns over cheaper competition and US-China trade tensions.
However, the stock has since rebounded sharply, climbing nearly 74% from early April to reach new highs.
Huang remains optimistic about the company’s growth potential. Speaking on Nvidia’s earnings call in May, he said AI would become vital to “every country” and “every industry,” noting, “we’re at the beginning of that.”
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then