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Updated: February 27, 2026

Most Valuable Company in The World – Is Nvidia Still a Buy

Nvidia became the world's most valuable company at $5T market cap. Explore AI boom, revenue growth, risks & if NVDA is still a buy in 2026.

Nvidia largest company in the world

Nvidia at $5 Trillion: Is It Still Worth Buying in 2026?

For long-term investors, Nvidia can still make sense as a core AI holding if earnings growth continues; for short-term traders, upside is more limited and highly dependent on valuation and timing. In June 2025, Nvidia became the first public company to cross the $5 trillion market capitalization mark, confirming its position as the most valuable company in the world. The question of whatcompany is worth the most is settled — the real issue is Nvidia still a buy after becoming the largest company in the world and the largest company by market cap?

At this scale, Nvidia serves as a market benchmark, not just a growth stock. Practically, this means:

  • Nvidia’s large S&P 500 weight means its movements can significantly impact major indexes.
  • Even if other stocks are flat, Nvidia can drive the broader market up or down.
  • Performance is now measured against Nvidia, not just the index.
  • Expectations are higher: investors focus on steady revenue growth, predictable earnings, and fewer surprises. Nvidia is no longer a high-risk growth stock, but a key market stabilizer.

Is Nvidia Still a Buy After Becoming the Most Valuable Company?

The key question is not whether Nvidia is a strong company, but at what price it makes sense to invest. Nvidia’s market capitalization recently exceeded $1 trillion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the world. Its share price is currently around $190–$193. Analysts have set price targets for 2026 ranging from $170–$300 per share, with the median price target around $260. Many analysts recommend buying on pullbacks, considering its strong growth in AI and GPUs, though some advise caution due to its already high valuation multiples. Investors should carefully monitor entry points and market conditions for long-term gains.

For those who prefer shorter-term strategies, some traders use platforms like IQ Option to speculate on Nvidia’s price movements without buying shares outright, focusing instead on defined setups around earnings or major news events.

Largest Company in the World by Market Cap

Nvidia is the most valuable company in the world by market capitalization (~$4.65–$4.69 trillion as of early 2026), surpassing peers like Microsoft and Apple in companies by market capitalization rankings.

This scale shifts how NVDA behaves on the stock market:

  • Its share price (~$190–$195) prices in AI dominance and AI infrastructure demand.
  • Valuation multiples remain high, with ~47× earnings, making future returns more dependent on year‑over‑year growth than hype.
  • Analysts still lean Buy: consensus price targets average ~$257+, with many calling NVDA a buy on pullbacks rather than short‑term breakout.

Recent news underscores strategic execution: Nvidia invested $2B into AI infrastructure partner CoreWeave, reinforcing data‑center positioning and long‑term AI growth sustainability. 

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Company Market Cap Milestones and Records

MilestoneYearImpact on Investors and AI Growth
Crossing the $1 Trillion Level2021Marked a shift as AI demand transitioned from experimentation to mainstream adoption.
Surging Toward $3 Trillion2022Data center spending surged, with Nvidia positioning itself as a leader in AI infrastructure.
Reaching $5 Trillion2024Solidified Nvidia’s role in the global AI ecosystem, with demand for GPUs and AI software accelerating.

Market Cap Record: Nvidia’s growth in recent years has shattered previous records, firmly positioning the company as a leader in the tech and AI markets.

Key takeaway: As Nvidia grows larger, returns become steadier but harder to accelerate. The challenge now is sustaining growth at a scale the stock market has rarely seen before.

How Nvidia Became the World’s Most Valuable Company

Nvidia’s rise to the position of the most valuable company was not the result of a single product cycle, but a decade-long strategic transformation to the most influential technology companies in global information technology. 

PeriodCore FocusPrimary MarketsStrategic Impact
2010–2015GPUs for gamingVideo game, consumer graphicsEstablished performance leadership
2016–2019Parallel computingData centers, early AIEntry into enterprise computing
2020–2022AI accelerationCloud computing, hyperscalersRapid revenue expansion
2023–2026Full AI platformAI infrastructure, global enterprisesPath to trillion market cap scale

Nvidia’s can anticipate where computing demand is heading. As one industry analyst put it: “Nvidia didn’t just sell chips to the AI boom — it architected the boom itself.” 

From GPUs to AI Leader: Path to $5 Trillion

Nvidia transitioned from a GPU leader to a dominant player in AI by building an integrated platform combining chips, systems, and software.

What changed in product strategy?
Nvidia redesigned GPUs for AI training and inference, with new architectures like Blackwell and Rubin focused on data center workloads.

What changed in the customer base?
The customer base shifted from gamers to hyperscalers, cloud providers, and governments, creating long-term visibility and stable demand.

What changed in pricing power?
By combining hardware with proprietary software like CUDA and DGX, Nvidia gained leverage, offering complete infrastructure solutions rather than individual components.

How is this impacting growth?
AI revenue for Nvidia reached $10 billion last year, and AI is projected to contribute over 50% of annual growth in the next 5 years, positioning Nvidia for substantial future growth.

Stock Performance: Share Price and S&P 500 Weight

In fiscal 2025, Nvidia reported quarterly Revenue above $20 billion with strong Year-over-year growth, confirming sustained AI demand. The earnings release triggered a sharp reaction in NVDA’s share price, highlighting how execution now drives short-term moves. As valuation rose, Nvidia’s S&P 500 weight increased, making the stock a growing driver of index performance and broader stock market reactions on earnings days.

Core Drivers of Nvidia’s Market Capitalization Growth

Nvidia’s market capitalization surge is driven by sustained demand for AI infrastructure from hyperscalers, large enterprises, and government programs. Unlike past tech cycles, this demand is focused on long-term AI solutions rather than short-lived consumer products.

In fiscal 2025, data center revenue grew 40% YoY, reaching $18 billion, with projections for 30% YoY growth in the next two years. This stable, multi-year demand strengthens Nvidia’s position, shifting focus from gaming to core infrastructure. As one portfolio manager said, “Nvidia is not selling optional technology — it’s selling essential infrastructure.”

AI Infrastructure and Data Centers Demand

The main growth engine is large-scale data centers optimized for AI training and inference. Hyperscalers are expanding capacity to meet enterprise demand, while governments fund sovereign AI initiatives for defense, healthcare, and public services.

Who is paying:

  • Hyperscalers scaling cloud AI services
  • Enterprises deploying proprietary AI models
  • Governments investing in national AI infrastructure

This mix creates predictable, long-duration demand rather than short hardware cycles.

Revenue and Year-Over-Year Growth Breakdown

In its fiscal Q1 2026 earnings report, Nvidia reported quarterly revenue of over $26 billion, with strong year-over-year growth. The company guided for continued sequential growth, driven primarily by data center demand.

SegmentRevenue TrendYoY DriverRevenue Growth (YoY)Why It Matters
Data CentersRapid expansionAI training & inference+40%Core growth engine for Nvidia
GamingModerate growthHigh-end GPUs+10%Stable cash flow, less volatile
Professional & AutoEmergingAI-assisted workloads+20%Optional upside from new tech

Analysts emphasize that visibility and guidance — not just headline growth — support Nvidia’s premium valuation.

Data Centers vs Gaming Segments

While video game markets remain important, data centers now account for the majority of incremental revenue. In fiscal Q1 2026, data centers contributed 55% of Nvidia’s total revenue, up from 45% in the previous year. In contrast, the gaming segment contributed 35%, with a modest growth of 10% YoY.

This shift reduces cyclicality and anchors Nvidia’s earnings to infrastructure budgets rather than consumer demand, providing more predictability and long-term stability for the company.

Major Partnerships: AWS, Google Cloud

Nvidia’s hyperscaler partnerships are measurable in deployed infrastructure, not just announcements. Both AWS and Google Cloud have repeatedly expanded Nvidia-based offerings as AI workloads moved from experimentation to large-scale production.

What this unlocks: faster deployment, scalable capacity, and standardized AI instance types across cloud platforms.

PartnerInfrastructure & Platform UpdateWhat It UnlocksDate
AWSDGX Cloud on AWS; EC2 roadmap aligned with GH200/H200-class systemsStandardized large-model training deploymentsNov 28, 2023
AWSGrace Blackwell-based EC2 instances; Nitro, EFA encryption, key managementSecure, scalable AI infrastructure at scaleMar 18, 2024
Google CloudExpanded AI infrastructure and software for large model build/deploy (Cloud Next)Faster enterprise AI adoptionAug 29, 2023
Google CloudA4 VM preview powered by HGX B200 (Blackwell), 8× GPUs, ~2.25× peak compute and HBM per GPU vs A3Higher training density and performanceFeb 1, 2025

Next-Gen Chips: Blackwell, Rubin, CUDA, DGX

Nvidia’s next-gen chips, like Blackwell and Rubin, power large-scale AI workloads. Paired with CUDA and DGX, they provide an integrated AI platform that competitors struggle to match.

For instance, Blackwell is used in Google Cloud for training AI models, while Rubin powers AWS for AI inference, boosting processing speed in sectors like healthcare.

Nvidia’s ability to deliver AI infrastructure solutions, not just GPUs, drives its market capitalization growth. For traders on platforms like IQ Option, Nvidia’s continued tech leadership offers opportunities in AI-driven market growth.

AI Bubble or Supercycle?

As Nvidia became the largest company in the world, the debate on artificial intelligence shifted from hype to execution. The key question is whether AI spending can be sustained or if a slowdown emerges as capacity is absorbed. Unlike past tech booms, demand is now driven by hyperscalers, enterprises, and governments building long-term AI infrastructure, not short-term consumer enthusiasm.

For investors, visibility is crucial. Long-term contracts and infrastructure budgets provide clearer growth signals than speculative momentum.

Bull Case: Artificial Intelligence Growth Sustainability

The bullish case for AI hinges on measurable factors:

  • Hyperscaler capex stays elevated, enabling data center expansion.
  • Blackwell chips ramp on schedule, reinforcing Nvidia’s platform leadership.
  • Inference demand scales, shifting AI workloads to recurring production use.

Industry forecasts predict AI capital expenditure could exceed $300 billion annually by the late 2020s, mostly driven by data center build-outs. As one strategist said: “AI spending today is more like electricity — once installed, it becomes indispensable.”

Bear Case: Valuation Multiples and Slowdown Fears

The bear case focuses on valuation risk at extreme scales. As the market cap leader, Nvidia has little room for disappointment. High valuation multiples mean that even small disruptions can quickly shift investor sentiment.

Key downside risks include:

  • Policy shock from stricter export rules or regulatory changes.
  • Capex digestion, as customers pause spending to absorb installed capacity.
  • Increased custom silicon adoption reducing reliance on external GPUs.

A recent example is growing investment by major cloud providers in in-house AI chips. For instance, Microsoft has expanded development of proprietary accelerators alongside third-party suppliers. While this does not remove Nvidia’s role, it introduces long-term pressure on pricing and product mix.

Key Competitors: AMD, Broadcom, ASICs

Competition is growing as rivals aggressively invest in alternative architectures. AMD continues to expand its data center GPU lineup, while Broadcom benefits from custom silicon partnerships. Meanwhile, specialized ASICs developed by hyperscalers aim to reduce reliance on third-party suppliers.

Competition is now driven more by specialization than by direct replacement.

Competitors and Nvidia’s Advantages

CompetitorWhere They WinWhere Nvidia Wins
AMDPrice and alternative architecturesSoftware ecosystem, scale
BroadcomCustom AI silicon partnershipsGeneral-purpose AI platforms
ASICsWorkload-specific efficiencyFlexibility and rapid iteration

Export Restrictions and Chip Shortages

Since 2022, export restrictions have limited shipments of advanced AI chips to certain regions, forcing Nvidia to offer regulation-compliant products. At the same time, constraints in advanced packaging and memory have caused periodic chip shortages, extending delivery timelines for large data centers.

For investors, these factors mainly affect revenue timing rather than demand. However, prolonged restrictions or supply bottlenecks could reduce earnings visibility and pressure valuation multiples, making Nvidia’s valuation sensitive to regulatory changes and supply chain disruptions.

What This Means for Retail Investors

For retail investors, Nvidia’s status as the largest company by market cap changes how the stock should be approached. At a $5 trillion market capitalization, NVDA is no longer a high‑beta growth play, but a core large cap asset that behaves closer to a market driver than a speculative bet.

The key question is positioning, not dominance. As one equity strategist noted: “At this size, Nvidia doesn’t just outperform or underperform — it moves the benchmark.”

A simple checklist for retail investors:

  • Time horizon: long‑term holding vs short‑term trading
  • Position size: avoid over‑concentration in a single stock
  • Max drawdown: define acceptable downside before entering
  • Catalysts calendar: earnings dates, guidance updates, product cycles
  • Exit plan: profit targets and risk limits set in advance

Entry Points, Price Targets, Investor Sentiment

At extreme valuations, timing outweighs narratives. Short-term entry points depend on earnings reactions, guidance changes, and shifts in investor sentiment, not just AI enthusiasm.

Retail investors often look for:

  • Pullbacks after earnings
  • Consolidation following rallies
  • Broader stock market corrections
FactorWhy It MattersImpact on Entry
Earnings dateVolatility catalystSharp price moves
Guidance revisionDemand signalTrend confirmation
Market sentimentRisk‑on / risk‑offTiming sensitivity

Consensus price targets are rising, but the wider dispersion signals growing uncertainty.

Investing in Largest Company by Market Cap

Owning the largest company by market cap offers stability but limits explosive upside. Nvidia benefits from deep liquidity across global stock exchanges, making it accessible to retail investors worldwide. However, scale introduces constraints: outperformance now requires continuous earnings expansion at unprecedented levels.

For many retail portfolios, Nvidia serves as structural exposure to artificial intelligence rather than a pure growth bet. Common approaches include:

  • Holding NVDA as a core large-cap position
  • Combining Nvidia with suppliers or complementary technology companies
  • Adjusting position size expectations compared to earlier growth phases

Active traders often use short-term strategies on platforms like IQ Option, focusing on defined setups around earnings or major news, instead of long holding periods.

Broader AI Market and Stock Market Outlook

If Nvidia is the headline, where is the second-order money going in 2026? While Nvidia is the most visible AI winner, the broader stock market impact comes from how AI spending spreads across the supply chain, cloud layers, and enterprise deployment.

AI is no longer just a theme within technology companies; it is becoming a macro driver of capital allocation in the global economy, influencing data center build-outs, energy demand, productivity, and sector leadership.

External research (reputable sources):

  • IMF World Economic Outlook (Oct 2025) — AI and productivity scenarios: 
  • OECD — productivity impacts from artificial intelligence: 
  • McKinsey — economic potential of generative AI ($2.6T–$4.4T annually): 

One senior macro strategist summarized the shift bluntly: “AI has moved from a sector story to a market structure story.”

Other AI Stocks: Suppliers and Technology Companies

If Nvidia is the AI winner, the next opportunity lies in suppliers and technology companies scaling AI for real-world use. This is where second-order effects emerge as AI spending moves from chips to deployment.

SegmentExample SubcategoriesWhy It Matters
SuppliersNetworking, memory, advanced packagingScale capacity, Capex cycles
Data centersPower & cooling, efficiencyEnable deployment
Cloud platformsCloud instances, managed AI servicesGlobal rollout, usage growth
IT servicesIntegration, security, governanceEnterprise adoption

AMD, Micron, and Broadcom lead in suppliers, driving components for AI infrastructure, while Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud power cloud platforms for scalable AI.

Not all AI stocks behave the same. Suppliers are cyclical, while cloud computing and IT services show steadier demand once AI workloads go live, impacting future technologies like 5G and autonomous systems.

2026 Predictions: Economic Shifts Impact

By 2026, AI-driven economic shifts will appear through measurable channels:

  • Capex persistence: Hyperscalers and large enterprises continue funding data centers and AI infrastructure even in mixed macro conditions.
  • Productivity translation: AI adoption lifts output per worker and supports margins, but gains vary across industries.
  • Market concentration: Winners attract more capital, increasing dispersion across the stock market.

Research suggests AI could add 0.25–0.6 percentage points to annual productivity growth. The takeaway is not broad uplift but concentration: markets reward firms that convert AI spending into durable cash flows.

ScenarioMarket EffectInvestor Takeaway
Sustained AI investmentOngoing infrastructure spendConcentration in leaders
Slower global growthMultiple pressureHigher volatility
Policy tighteningLower liquiditySector rotation

As one asset manager said: “AI will not lift all stocks — it will concentrate returns.” Nvidia remains the reference, with risk and opportunity tied to capital distribution across suppliers, cloud computing, and IT.

Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Alexandre Raider

He has been working in the trading industry for almost 6 years, participated in research on the Brazilian market, and communicates with traders on a daily basis. Alexandre now is a training and support specialist for traders of high-risk trading instruments. He is happy to share his experience in this industry with you.

Frequently asked questions

You asked, we answer

What Company Is Worth the Most Right Now?

As of 2026, Nvidia is widely recognized as the most valuable company in the world. It has the highest market cap, surpassing other global leaders and ranking first among companies by market capitalization on major stock exchanges. This position reflects its central role in artificial intelligence, data centers, and cloud computing infrastructure.

How Nvidia Hit $5 Trillion Market Capitalization?

Nvidia reached a $5 trillion market capitalization through sustained Revenue and strong Year-over-year growth driven by AI demand. Key factors include leadership in GPUs, expansion of data centers, adoption of next-gen chips such as Blackwell (with Rubin on the roadmap), deep partnerships with AWS and Google Cloud, and a high‑retention software ecosystem built around CUDA and DGX.

Is Nvidia Still a Buy for Stock Market Investors?

The question is NVDA still a buy depends on time horizon and risk tolerance. NVDA behaves like a core large cap holding. Returns are increasingly influenced by earnings execution, investor sentiment, valuation multiples, and potential slowdown fears, rather than pure multiple expansion.

How to Invest in NVDA?

Retail investors can buy NVDA shares through a brokerage account on a major stock exchange for long‑term exposure. Beyond classic investing, some platforms offer short‑term exposure using CFDs, sometimes with small starting capital. This does not involve owning the shares and focuses on price movements around earnings or news. CFDs are best used as a tactical complement — not a replacement — to long‑term investing. Clear entry points, realistic price targets, and strict risk control are essential.