Nvidia has reported an astounding triple-digit growth in its third-quarter revenue, reaching $18.12 billion. The driving force behind this unprecedented surge is the relentless demand for AI chips, primarily in the data center, powering tasks ranging from training large language models to inference for generative AI applications. The company’s CEO, Jensen Huang, emphasized the industry’s broad transition towards accelerated computing and generative AI as the main catalyst for this remarkable growth.
AI chip-powered data center revenue soars amidst Hopper GPU system success
Nvidia’s data center revenue witnessed an extraordinary surge of 279%, amounting to a staggering $14.5 billion, constituting 80% of the company’s total sales for the quarter. The accelerated growth in AI chips and systems within the data center segment, at a rate of 324%, can be attributed to the robust adoption of HGX systems powered by the Hopper-based GPUs, particularly the H100.
Notably, the L40S universal accelerator and GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip have also contributed significantly to this growth. Sales of data center networking, primarily driven by the strong demand for InfiniBand networking products supporting HGX systems, escalated by 155%.
Cloud service providers played a pivotal role in Nvidia’s data center revenue, accounting for approximately half of the total, with the remainder sourced from transactions with consumer internet companies and enterprises. Interestingly, the company’s CFO, Colette Kress, anticipates the annualized revenue run rate for software, support, and services to reach $1 billion by the year-end, propelled by offerings such as the Nvidia DGX Cloud service and the Nvidia AI Software suite.
Gaming and professional visualization segments contribute significantly
While the data center products spearheaded Nvidia’s revenue surge, the gaming and professional visualization segments also experienced substantial growth. Gaming revenue surged by 81% year-over-year to $2.9 billion, driven by heightened demand for the GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs. The professional visualization segment witnessed a remarkable growth of 108% year-over-year, reaching $416 million. Automotive revenue, although seeing a modest 4% and 3% year-over-year and sequential growth, respectively, contributed to Nvidia’s overall diversified success.
Export restrictions pose potential headwinds
Looking ahead, Nvidia projects a revenue of $20 billion, plus or minus 2%, for the fourth quarter of its 2024 fiscal year. While this indicates a potential slowdown compared to the previous quarters, it still represents a substantial 230% increase from the same period in the prior fiscal year. Colette Kress acknowledged the potential impact of the U.S. government’s expanding export restrictions for chips sold into China and other sanctioned countries, expressing uncertainty about the magnitude of this impact over the long term. Nvidia’s stock price experienced a minor dip of approximately 1.7% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
As Nvidia continues to ride the wave of the AI chip boom, the company faces challenges in navigating export restrictions and uncertainties in the geopolitical landscape. Despite these potential headwinds, the remarkable growth in revenue and the diversification of success across various segments underscore Nvidia’s resilience and adaptability in a rapidly evolving market. Will the company sustain its momentum, or will external factors pose a greater challenge in the upcoming quarters? Only time will tell as Nvidia navigates the intricate landscape of the semiconductor industry.
