Nvidia’s market valuation broke the record previously held by Apple.
Market Milestone Breaks Tech Industry Record
Nvidia has officially become the first company in history to reach a $4 trillion market valuation. Shares of the AI chipmaker climbed as much as 2.5% on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high-water mark of $3.9 trillion set by Apple in December 2024.
The surge caps off a staggering rebound: Nvidia’s market value has jumped more than 70% since April 4, when global stock markets tumbled following President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping global tariffs.
“This is a huge historical moment for the U.S. tech sector,” said tech analyst Dan Ives.
Fueling the AI Revolution
Nvidia’s meteoric rise is closely tied to its central role in the artificial intelligence boom. Major tech firms such as OpenAI, Amazon, and Microsoft are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in massive data centers designed to support advanced AI applications. All of these platforms rely heavily on Nvidia chips to power their operations, even as some explore in-house chip development.
In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Nvidia reported a 70% increase in revenue, totaling over $44 billion. The company projects another $45 billion in sales for the current quarter.
“Global demand for Nvidia’s AI infrastructure is incredibly strong,” CEO Jensen Huang told investors during a May earnings call.
Soaring Stock Performance
Nvidia’s share price has skyrocketed nearly 20% this year alone, and is up by a remarkable 1,500% over the last five years. That explosive performance helped the company briefly overtake Microsoft in mid-June, making it the most valuable publicly traded company in the world.
Just over two years ago, Nvidia was worth $500 billion. It crossed the $1 trillion mark in June 2023, doubled that by February 2024, and reached $3 trillion just last month.
Who’s Behind Nvidia Now?
Following Nvidia and Microsoft at the top of the market value leaderboard are:
- Apple at $3.13 trillion;
- Amazon at $2.38 trillion;
- Alphabet (Google’s parent company) at $2.12 trillion;
- Meta Platforms at $1.81 trillion.
Setbacks and Geopolitical Tensions
Despite its enormous success, Nvidia has faced significant challenges. In April, during heightened market volatility over tariff concerns, the company revealed it could lose up to $5.5 billion in revenue due to U.S. export restrictions targeting China. Ultimately, Nvidia absorbed $4.5 billion in losses over the three-month period.
“The $50 billion China market is effectively closed to U.S. industry,” Jensen Huang said at the time.
CEO Jensen Huang: Tech Icon and Global Figure
Nvidia’s rise has made Jensen Huang one of the most influential figures in the tech world. Often praised for his vision and charisma, Huang has become something of a global ambassador for artificial intelligence and Nvidia’s technology.
In recent months, he’s met with a number of world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, senior officials from the European Commission, and high-ranking Chinese policymakers close to President Xi Jinping.
