Chip giant Nvidia has reported record quarterly revenue of $81.6bn, far exceeding Wall Street expectations as global demand for artificial intelligence hardware continues to surge.
The results, covering the first quarter of fiscal 2027 ending April 26, represent an 85 per cent increase year-on-year and a 20 per cent rise compared to the previous quarter, reinforcing Nvidia’s position as the dominant player in the global AI infrastructure boom.
Net profit rose sharply to $58.3bn, more than tripling from $18.8bn in the same period last year, highlighting the company’s unprecedented earnings momentum.
The company’s data centre division remained the key growth driver, generating a record $75.2bn in revenue. This segment, which includes Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs), recorded a 92 per cent year-on-year increase.
GPUs, originally designed for rendering video game graphics, have become the backbone of modern artificial intelligence systems, powering large-scale machine learning and generative AI models.
This transformation has propelled Nvidia to become one of the world’s most valuable companies, fuelled by sustained global investment in AI infrastructure.
Despite concerns among analysts about a potential slowdown in AI spending, demand for Nvidia’s chips remains exceptionally strong across the technology sector.
Since its last earnings report in February, the company has announced a $10bn investment in Anthropic, a major supply agreement with Meta covering millions of Blackwell and Rubin GPUs, and a CoreWeave partnership targeting five gigawatts of AI factory capacity by 2030.
Nvidia also noted that its financial outlook does not include any revenue assumptions from China, where access to advanced US-made chips remains restricted due to ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang recently said he expects China to eventually reopen its market to high-end US AI chips used for training and running advanced systems.
The United States and China continue to compete for dominance in artificial intelligence, with Nvidia’s H200 chips previously restricted from sale in China over national security concerns.
However, there is currently no indication that Chinese technology firms are purchasing Nvidia’s advanced chips, as Beijing accelerates efforts to develop domestic alternatives and reduce reliance on US technology.
Analysts say Nvidia’s performance underscores the scale of the global AI race, with demand for computing power continuing to outpace supply across major markets.
