Nvidia shares surged on Thursday as the company’s quarterly earnings and outlook exceeded analysts’ expectations. The strong results alleviated concerns about supply constraints and the extent to which demand was being driven by Chinese customers. Nvidia addressed these concerns by stating that it expects product supply to increase in the next fiscal year, thus meeting the rising demand for AI chips. The company also clarified that the revenue from China was within its historical range, indicating that the beat was not due to Chinese orders being pulled forward over fears of future U.S. restrictions. Furthermore, analysts believe that Nvidia’s outsize gains indicate that it will remain the market’s favorite bet on AI technology.
Analysts welcomed the news as it confirmed that the artificial intelligence boom is still fueling Nvidia’s growth. The company’s management has qualified additional suppliers and expects to increase supply each quarter through the next year to meet demand. This assurance of sustained progress has led to positive revisions in target prices by analysts, with KeyBanc analyst John Vinh raising his target price on Nvidia to $670. Moreover, concerns about Chinese orders being impacted by potential U.S. restrictions were eased as Nvidia stated that it could reallocate shipments if necessary. This news prompted UBS analysts to raise their target price on Nvidia to $560. Overall, the results have further solidified Nvidia’s position as the market’s leading player in AI technology.
While competition in the AI chip market is deemed important for a healthy innovation ecosystem, Nvidia’s dominance continues to remain unparalleled. The company currently holds an estimated 90% market share for AI-related GPUs, making it the purest scale play on AI adoption. However, analysts highlight that there should be opportunities for companies such as AMD and Intel to provide rival AI chip offerings. Although Nvidia’s platform is becoming more attractive through software development and industry partnerships, there is still a window for alternatives to grow their market share. Nevertheless, given Nvidia’s strong position and sustainable progress, it is clear that the market considers it as the standout favorite in the AI technology sector.