What happened
Shares of Nvidia (NVDA 4.58%) leaped 14% on Thursday as the prospect of an artificial intelligence-driven boom in chip demand tantalized investors.
So what
Nvidia's revenue declined by 21% year over year to $6.05 billion in its fiscal 2023 fourth quarter, which ended on Jan. 29. A sharp decline in gaming-related sales, which have slowed in recent quarters after experiencing torrid growth earlier in the pandemic, weighed on the semiconductor titan's results.
But it was the solid growth in Nvidia's data center business -- which houses its AI offerings -- that stole investors' attention. Sales in this increasingly important segment jumped 11% to $3.62 billion.
Rising demand for cloud-computing and AI-powered applications is helping to fuel Nvidia's growth. To better meet this need, Nvidia is launching new AI cloud services in partnership with leading cloud-infrastructure providers, such as Microsoft, Alphabet, and Oracle. These AI-as-a-service offerings will enable customers to more easily access Nvidia's AI supercomputer, software, and generative AI models.
"AI is at an inflection point, setting up for broad adoption reaching into every industry," CEO Jensen Huang said in a press release. "From start-ups to major enterprises, we are seeing accelerated interest in the versatility and capabilities of generative AI."
Now what
Generative AI is cutting-edge technology that uses algorithms to create text, images, and other forms of novel content. New applications that use this advanced tech have captured the imagination of users around the world. OpenAI's ChatGPT, for one, already has more than 100 million users since its debut in November, making it the fastest-growing app of all time.
The incredible popularity of ChatGPT and other innovative AI apps is creating a surge in demand for the chips that power them. It's also driving more businesses to adopt the technology so as to not be left behind. These trends are likely to be a boon for Nvidia, and investors are bidding up the chip giant's stock price to better reflect its massive AI growth opportunity.
