Nvidia surpasses Microsoft to claim the title of the world’s most valuable company

Semafor Signals is a platform that provides global insights into today’s biggest stories. Nvidia, a key player in the stock market, recently reached a record market cap that helped fuel the S&P 500’s eighth consecutive record day and 31st of the year. The Nasdaq and Dow Jones indexes also saw gains. Analysts view Nvidia as a strong investment due to its position as a leading manufacturer of AI hardware, offering a hedge against uncertainty in the technology market. Wall Street remains optimistic, with one analyst predicting a $10 trillion valuation for Nvidia by 2030.

Like other tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, Nvidia’s success is attributed in part to its investments in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore. Southeast Asia is becoming a popular choice for tech investments due to its perceived immunity to US-China tensions and ease of political navigation compared to India. Tech companies are expected to invest $60 billion in the region for data centers in the coming years, attracted by the deep talent pool and supportive environment for cross-border investments.

Despite concerns of a potential dot-com like bubble in the AI market, some analysts believe these fears are unfounded. Investment companies like UBS and BlackRock do not see a bubble forming, pointing to the profitability of mega-cap tech companies as a key differentiator from the unprofitable firms seen during the dot-com bubble. The differences in the speed of change, market size, and progression to the most valuable company stage further distinguish the AI market from the earlier dot-com boom.