Shares of Nvidia rose 2.8% to $164.42 on July 9, briefly pushing the company’s market capitalisation above $4 trillion, a milestone no other listed firm has ever reached. Although the valuation pulled back by market close, the rally was enough to hand Huang a single-day wealth gain of $2.47 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Huang, who owns a 3.5% stake in Nvidia, is now worth $142 billion as on Thursday, July 10, ranking as the world’s 10th richest individual. In 2025 so far, he is the third-largest gainer in terms of net worth, behind Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who have added $58.6 billion and $51 billion to their fortunes, respectively.
AI momentum and product buzz drive rally
The latest stock surge was fuelled in part by the launch of Comet, an AI-powered web browser from Nvidia-backed startup Perplexity AI. The product, announced on Wednesday, aims to challenge Google Chrome’s dominance and marks the company’s entry into the highly competitive browser space.
According to Reuters, the launch marks Perplexity AI’s entry into the competitive browser market, aiming to replace traditional navigation with agentic AI that can think, act, and decide on behalf of users. Chrome currently holds a commanding 68% share of the global browser market, StatCounter data shows.
Comet enables users to ask questions, compare products, book meetings, and simplify workflows through a unified AI interface. The browser is also backed by heavyweight investors including Jeff Bezos and SoftBank.
Nvidia towers over tech rivals and economies
The euphoria around Nvidia’s AI leadership has sent its stock soaring 21% year-to-date, far outpacing the Nasdaq Composite’s 6.5% return. Over the last 12 months, Nvidia shares have gained 24%, compared to the Nasdaq’s 11%.
Since early 2023, Nvidia’s market capitalisation has jumped tenfold, from $400 billion to the $4 trillion mark, making it the most valuable public company in the world, ahead of Microsoft ($3.7 trillion) and Apple ($3.1 trillion).
At its peak valuation, a mere 5% increase in Nvidia’s stock price would have added more to its market cap than the entire size of the Indian economy. The IMF estimates India’s GDP at $4.2 trillion, expected to reach $4.27 trillion by the end of 2025.
According to Bloomberg, Nvidia now accounts for 7.5% of the S&P 500 Index, near its highest level of index influence on record. The demand for its AI chips is widely seen as the most consequential tech shift since the launch of the iPhone nearly two decades ago.
Also read | Nvidia at $4 trillion m-cap! Chip titan just 5% away from surpassing India’s GDP
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