Nvidia fever is here. Why the chipmaker is the world’s hottest stock.
SAN FRANCISCO - In high school, all Pablo Nava Barrera knew about Nvidia was it made the graphics card inside his video gaming computer. But as he began looking for internships last fall, the computer science sophomore at San José State University discovered the company’s chips were behind “generative” AI tools like ChatGPT and self-driving cars.
Now Nava, 19, not only has a summer internship at Nvidia, he’s also a stockholder. Using cash saved from gifts and part-time jobs, he bought an undisclosed amount of Nvidia shares last month. He’s already seen a 15 percent gain.
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“It’s impressive how they’ve transitioned from a company with the greatest graphics chips to an AI powerhouse,” said Nava, who plans to hold on to his investment “indefinitely.”
As its stock price has soared nearly 300 percent over the past year, Nvidia fever has swept Silicon Valley and computer science programs across America. At college job fairs, hundreds of students line up to meet the company’s recruiters. On TikTok and Reddit, people debate whether it’s too late to invest. And along the highway between the valley and downtown San Francisco, billboards trumpet the availability of Nvidia’s chief product - microprocessor s known as GPUs - from start-ups that have bought the chips to cash in on the overwhelming demand.
Nvidia’s chips power the AI models behind the artificial intelligence boom, including popular tools like ChatGPT. Big Tech companies from Google to Meta to Amazon need the chips to power their AI tools and big data centers. Demand is skyrocketing, driving the price per chip to as much as $30,000 - if you can find one. The company is now worth more than $2 trillion - more than Google or Amazon - and trailing only Microsoft and Apple in the competition to claim the title as the most valuable company in the world. This week, Nvidia’s stock price increase drove the S&P 500 to a record close.