Stock Surge

Nvidia’s market cap surpassed $5 trillion as AI chip demand surged. Its stock soared, driven by the indispensable role of its GPUs in powering AI services for major tech firms and research labs. Strong results from Intel and gains by AMD and Qualcomm further boosted the semiconductor sector, signaling renewed investor confidence in AI infrastructure despite emerging competition from custom chip designs by companies like Alphabet.

Allbirds is pivoting from sustainable footwear to AI compute infrastructure, rebranding as NewBird AI. This strategic shift, aimed at capitalizing on the AI boom, has caused its stock to surge over 582%. The company plans to secure up to $50 million in new funding to acquire AI hardware and address market demand. This move follows recent asset sales and store closures for the struggling footwear brand.

Nvidia’s stock is surging, driven by massive demand for its AI chips from tech giants. The company boasts a $1 trillion GPU order backlog through 2027, with data center revenue now dominating its business. Recent announcements at GTC, including new chip architectures and a focus on quantum computing, further solidify its industry leadership. Nvidia also denied acquisition rumors concerning PC manufacturers.

Zhipu AI’s stock surged up to 35% following its maiden earnings report, which revealed a 132% revenue increase to 724 million yuan in FY2025, despite a net adjusted loss of 3.18 billion yuan due to R&D spending. The AI leader, also known as Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC, recently launched its GLM-5 model and is accelerating adoption of domestic chips amid U.S. export restrictions. Its performance is seen as a gauge for China’s AI ambitions.

Nintendo’s stock surged 18% following the unexpected viral success of “Pokémon Pokopia” for the Switch 2. The game sold 2.2 million units in four days, becoming the fourth best-selling Switch 2 title. This success is seen as a catalyst for Switch 2 hardware sales, with investors hoping it will help meet Nintendo’s console sales forecast. Despite recent gains, Nintendo’s stock is still down 28% over six months due to market concerns like rising memory component costs.

Pinterest’s stock surged 8% after Elliott Investment Management announced a $1 billion investment, fueling a $3.5 billion share buyback. This signifies a strategic shift towards shareholder value, with Elliott seeing substantial growth opportunities. The investment follows a period of stock decline and workforce reduction, as Pinterest prioritizes AI development and future growth initiatives.

Dell’s stock soared over 20% following better-than-expected Q4 earnings and strong future guidance. The company anticipates significant growth in AI servers, projecting $50 billion in revenue by 2027. However, a global memory chip shortage is driving up component costs, leading Dell to implement PC price increases. While some analysts worry about demand elasticity, the overall outlook remains positive, driven by the booming AI market.

Instacart’s stock surged after reporting strong Q4 results, exceeding revenue and GTV estimates. The company issued optimistic Q1 guidance for GTV and adjusted EBITDA, signaling continued expansion. Despite increased operating expenses due to legal matters, Instacart highlighted robust GTV growth, its strongest in three years, driven by new retailer partnerships and tech investments, including AI. While facing competitive pressures and past AI pricing criticisms, Instacart remains confident in its market leadership.

Zoom’s stock jumped 11% following a Baird report estimating its investment in AI startup Anthropic could be worth $2-4 billion. This strategic stake, potentially an 78x return on Zoom’s $51 million outlay, could offer a significant boost as Zoom seeks to reignite revenue growth. Analysts see this as a key asset, especially with speculation of an Anthropic IPO, positioning Zoom to benefit from the AI boom beyond its core video conferencing business.

Intel’s stock has soared, more than doubling in value since the U.S. government acquired a significant stake in August. This surge follows a positive meeting between Intel’s CEO and President Trump, who praised the company’s domestic chip production. The government’s $8.9 billion investment is now worth around $19 billion, reflecting Intel’s resurgent stock performance and its strategic advancements in chip technology under CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s leadership.