Nvidia's market value gets $2 trillion boost in 2024 on AI rally

Nvidia NVDA emerged as the biggest global gainer in market capitalization for 2024, driven by surging interest in artificial intelligence and the robust demand for its AI-centric chips across various industries.

The chipmaker's market value increased by over $2 trillion last year, reaching $3.28 trillion at the close of 2024, making it the second-most valuable listed company in the world. Its market value was $1.2 trillion at the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, Apple AAPL continued to lead global companies in market value, nearing a historic $4 trillion valuation. This surge was fuelled by investor enthusiasm for the company's anticipated AI enhancements, aimed at revitalizing sluggish iPhone sales.

At the end of 2024, Microsoft MSFT ranked third with a market value of $3.1 trillion, followed by Alphabet Inc GOOG and Amazon AMZN, each valued at approximately $2.3 trillion.

These tech companies significantly boosted their respective global indexes in 2024, with the S&P 500 index SPX surging 23.3% and the Nasdaq IXIC climbing 28.6%.

Despite the shares' higher valuations, looming U.S.-China tariff tensions, and potentially slower U.S. interest rate cuts, analysts remain optimistic about the sustained strong performance by tech firms in 2025.

Daniel Ives of Wedbush predicts a 25% gain in tech stocks in 2025, attributing potential growth to a less regulatory environment under Donald Trump, forthcoming strong AI initiatives, and a stable foundation for Big Tech and Tesla TSLA in 2025 and beyond.

"We believe tech stocks will be robust in 2025 on the shoulders of the AI Revolution and $2 trillion+ of incremental AI cap-ex over the next 3 years," he said.