Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is the largest company in the technology sector and overall in October 2025. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is in second, and long-time leader Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is third. The biggest tech companies by market cap are spread across a range of industries, including consumer electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, cloud computing, and e-commerce.
Largest by market cap
Largest companies by market cap in the technology sector
(Editor's note: Rankings are as of Oct. 2, 2025.)
| Name and ticker | Market cap | Current price | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) | $4.6 trillion | $180.16 | Semiconductors and Semiconductor Equipment |
| Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) | $3.8 trillion | $513.74 | Software |
| Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) | $3.7 trillion | $247.76 | Technology Hardware, Storage and Peripherals |
| Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) | $1.7 trillion | $344.15 | Semiconductors and Semiconductor Equipment |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) | $1.6 trillion | $295.79 | Semiconductors and Semiconductor Equipment |
| Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) | $875 billion | $299.30 | Software |
| Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) | $420 billion | $179.74 | Software |
| ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) | $382 billion | $979.71 | Semiconductors and Semiconductor Equipment |
| SAP (NYSE:SAP) | $314 billion | $270.30 | Software |
| Samsung Electronics (OTC:SSNL.F) | $282 billion | $42.06 | Technology Hardware, Storage and Peripherals |
Companies 1-3
1. Nvidia
- Market cap: $4.55 trillion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $165.2 billion
- Gross profit (TTM): $115.4 billion
- Five-year annualized return: 70.43%
- Year founded: 1993
TTM = trailing 12 months.
Nvidia is a leader in the design and development of graphics processing units (GPUs). Its GPUs first gained popularity for use in video gaming and computers, and then as a way to mine cryptocurrency.
In recent years, Nvidia GPUs have been instrumental in training artificial intelligence (AI) models, driving up demand (and Nvidia's share price). In July 2025, it became the first company to reach a market cap of $4 trillion. It has also been partnering with other AI companies. In September 2025, it announced plans to invest $100 billion in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, and $5 billion in IBM (NYSE:IBM).
2. Microsoft
- Market cap: $3.86 trillion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $281.7 billion
- Gross profit (TTM): $193.9 billion
- Five-year annualized return: 21.33%
- Year founded: 1975
Microsoft is the largest software company, and it's most well-known for the Windows operating system, which is used by over 70% of the world's desktop computers. In addition, it offers a wide range of products, including Microsoft Office software, Azure cloud computing, and Xbox video game systems.
Like most major tech companies, Microsoft has invested heavily in AI. In 2019, it started investing in OpenAI and has since developed Microsoft Copilot, an AI-powered digital assistant.
During its 2025 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2025, Microsoft invested $88 billion to build AI-enabled data centers. However, it has also had multiple rounds of layoffs this year, cutting more than 15,000 jobs.
3. Apple
- Market cap: $3.79 trillion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $408.6 billion
- Gross profit (TTM): $190.7 billion
- Five-year annualized return: 18.37%
- Year founded: 1976
Apple is a consumer electronics company with a long list of popular products, including the iPhone, MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods. It became the world's biggest company in August 2011 and has spent quite a bit of time at the top since then. However, it hasn't all been smooth sailing for Apple in recent years.
The Apple Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset, posted disappointing sales numbers, and Apple has shelved a revamped version in favor of AI smart glasses. Further, the release of Apple Intelligence, an AI technology, has gotten mixed reviews. Apple is also embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Companies 4-6
4. Broadcom
- Market cap: $1.57 trillion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $59.9 billion
- Gross profit (TTM): $40.0 billion
- Five-year annualized return: 59.90%
- Year founded: 1961 (HP Associates), 2005 (Avago Technologies), 2016 (Broadcom Limited)
Broadcom began as the semiconductor division of HP (NYSE:HPQ), but after a spinoff, multiple large acquisitions, and the AI boom, it's now one of the top tech companies. In addition to semiconductors, it offers infrastructure software solutions.
Broadcom announced plans to purchase cloud computing and virtualization software company VMware in 2022. It completed the transaction in November 2023, enhancing its software business.
5. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Market cap: $1.50 trillion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $111.7 billion*
- Gross profit (TTM): $65.4 billion*
- Five-year annualized return: 31.18%
- Year founded: 1987
*Converted from New Taiwan dollars.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is a global leader in the research, design, and manufacture of semiconductors. It produces chips for many of the major tech companies, including Apple, its biggest customer.
This semiconductor company is heavily expanding its operations in 2025. In March, it announced plans to invest $100 billion to build multiple U.S. facilities. It also opened a plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
6. Oracle
- Market cap: $821.28 billion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $59.0 billion
- Gross profit (TTM): $41.1 billion
- Five-year annualized return: 39.48%
- Year founded: 1977
Oracle is a database software and cloud computing company. It has a substantial enterprise customer base, with approximately 430,000 customers in 175 countries. Recently, Oracle has prioritized AI integration, adding a partnership with Nvidia.
Along with OpenAI and SoftBank (OTC:SFTB.Y), Oracle is a technology partner in the Stargate Project. The venture is expected to invest $500 billion into building AI infrastructure over the next four years. The AI boom has been great for Oracle so far. In September 2025, Oracle stock had its biggest single-day surge since 1999 on the back of massive revenue projections.
Companies 7-10
7. Palantir Technologies
- Market cap: $438.76 billion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $3.4 billion
- Gross profit (TTM): $2.8 billion
- Five-year annualized return: 82.24%
- Year founded: 2003
Founded by a group of former PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) employees, Palantir Technologies builds and deploys software platforms used for big data analytics. It has four main platforms: Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), Foundry, Gotham, and Apollo. Billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel serves as the company's chairman and is also one of its co-founders.
Palantir Technologies partners with many major companies, including Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Microsoft, and Oracle. It also provides military and defense software tools for the U.S. and its allies. In August 2025, it signed a contract with the U.S. Army that's worth as much as $10 billion over the next decade.
8. ASML
- Market cap: $394.57 billion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $37.7 billion*
- Gross profit (TTM): $19.8 billion*
- Five-year annualized return: 23.24%
- Year founded: 1984
*Converted from euros.
Dutch tech giant ASML provides semiconductor equipment systems. Specifically, it manufactures photolithography machines that other companies use to make the most advanced semiconductors.
While ASML is based in the Netherlands, it operates around the world, including in Europe, the U.S., and Asia. Some of its largest clients include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), and Samsung.
9. SAP
- Market cap: $314.43 billion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $42.1 billion*
- Gross profit (TTM): $30.9 billion*
- Five-year annualized return: 13.73%
- Year founded: 1972
*Converted from euros.
German company SAP is the world's largest provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It offers products for supply chain and asset management, human resources and workforce analytics, and application integration and automation.
SAP is a competitor to Oracle and has been acquiring cloud-based product companies for more than a decade. In August 2025, it entered into an agreement to acquire SmartRecruiters, an AI recruiting company. Then, in September 2025, it announced plans to invest more than $23 billion into its sovereign cloud systems in Europe over the next 10 years.
This tech company has had some legal troubles over the years. In 2024, SAP agreed to pay more than $220 million in fines to settle bribery charges.
10. Samsung Electronics
- Market cap: $281.97 billion (as of Oct. 2)
- Revenue (TTM): $219.4 billion*
- Gross profit (TTM): $79.7 billion*
- Five-year annualized return: 2.43%
- Year founded: 1969
*Converted from South Korean won.
Based in South Korea, Samsung is a consumer electronics company known for its smartphones, tablets, and TVs. It also sells home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines.
Samsung announced a shift toward high-end chips and AI-related products in 2024. Through this initiative, it aims to increase profitability and position itself as a leader in the growing AI market.
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Takeaways
Technology sector takeaways for investors
The tech sector is an exciting one, and it's not unusual for companies in this sector to deliver market-beating returns. Most companies on this list have outperformed the S&P 500 over the last five years. Nvidia, Broadcom, and Palantir have done particularly well.
The tradeoff is that tech stocks tend to be volatile. For example, Nvidia has seen both the biggest one-day gains and losses in Wall Street history. Tech companies also frequently trade at high valuations.
The Trump administration's import tariffs also pose a serious concern for the technology sector, assuming those tariffs stay in place. At the end of August, a federal appeals court ruled that many of the tariffs are illegal, and their status is up in the air pending an appeal. Major tech companies have global supply chains, so tariffs force them to either relocate their manufacturing facilities or deal with increased costs.
There's a greater risk associated with investing in tech stocks, and it's important to carefully research growth prospects for any you're considering. Even with the risk, technology companies are well worth it for the potential returns. After all, many of the world's most successful companies are in the tech sector.
