在備受期待的季度業(yè)績(jī)報(bào)告中,人工智能芯片廠商英偉達(dá)(Nvidia)輕松超過了華爾街的銷售預(yù)測(cè),但由于市場(chǎng)對(duì)其期望過高,而且公司下一代芯片Blackwell的生產(chǎn)出現(xiàn)了一些小問題,影響了投資者的熱情,導(dǎo)致公司股價(jià)下滑。
英偉達(dá)的市值超過3萬億美元,在全球排在第二位。周三,在業(yè)績(jī)報(bào)告公布后的盤后交易中,英偉達(dá)股價(jià)下跌近7%。
此次股價(jià)波動(dòng)使英偉達(dá)的市值縮水超過2,000億美元,這凸顯出這家硅谷芯片廠商和對(duì)人工智能商業(yè)潛力的高期望值,已經(jīng)成為推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)的重要力量。
英偉達(dá)表示,第二季度公司營(yíng)收同比增長(zhǎng)超過122%,總計(jì)達(dá)到300億美元。根據(jù)彭博社匯總的預(yù)估數(shù)據(jù),這遠(yuǎn)高于289億美元的平均分析師預(yù)估。英偉達(dá)稱,營(yíng)收增長(zhǎng)得益于其Hopper GPU芯片的銷量增長(zhǎng)。對(duì)英偉達(dá)芯片的強(qiáng)勁需求推動(dòng)了公司的利潤(rùn)增長(zhǎng),使其毛利率達(dá)到75.1%,調(diào)整后每股收益為68美分(分析師預(yù)測(cè)的每股收益為65美分)。
英偉達(dá)表示,基于新Blackwell架構(gòu)的芯片,將在今年第四季度開始出貨,這符合先前公布的下半年出貨的計(jì)劃(盡管是在原計(jì)劃日期范圍的后半段)。英偉達(dá)還承認(rèn)在生產(chǎn)過程中遇到了一些挑戰(zhàn),需要對(duì)“GPU掩膜”進(jìn)行更改,以提高“生產(chǎn)良率”。
本月早些時(shí)候,科技資訊網(wǎng)站The Information報(bào)道稱,Blackwell的設(shè)計(jì)缺陷可能導(dǎo)致出貨時(shí)間推遲三個(gè)月甚至更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。英偉達(dá)CEO黃仁勛在周三的分析師電話會(huì)議上表示,生產(chǎn)問題已經(jīng)解決。黃仁勛表示:“沒有必要的功能修改?!?/p>
該公司表示,今年第四季度預(yù)計(jì)將“通過Blackwell實(shí)現(xiàn)數(shù)十億美元的收入”。
黃仁勛在分析師電話會(huì)議上表示:“Blackwell將徹底改變整個(gè)行業(yè),而且它的影響將持續(xù)到明年。”
人工智能支出放緩的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)
英偉達(dá)曾經(jīng)是一家為視頻游戲廠商提供圖形加速器的設(shè)計(jì)公司。該公司的GPU成為驅(qū)動(dòng)生成式人工智能服務(wù)的關(guān)鍵組件,如OpenAI的ChatGPT和谷歌(Google)的Gemini等。分析師表示,雖然面臨芯片廠商AMD和Cerebras與Groq等初創(chuàng)公司的競(jìng)爭(zhēng),但英偉達(dá)當(dāng)前控制了90%的人工智能芯片市場(chǎng)。
隨著人工智能熱的興起,谷歌、Meta和亞馬遜(Amazon)等互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司為了提供人工智能服務(wù),在基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施方面投入了數(shù)百億美元,而英偉達(dá)成為最大的受益者之一。英偉達(dá)的市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位使公司股價(jià)暴漲,今年已上漲超過一倍,目前它在標(biāo)普500指數(shù)中的占比高達(dá)近7%。
盡管如此,在人工智能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施領(lǐng)域的巨額投資加劇了人們的持續(xù)擔(dān)憂,即消費(fèi)者和企業(yè)最終是否會(huì)購買足夠多的人工智能服務(wù),來證明這些投資是合理的。而英偉達(dá)的業(yè)務(wù)高度集中在Meta(Meta宣稱今年計(jì)劃囤積350,000枚英偉達(dá)GPU芯片)等幾家大客戶,因此人工智能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施支出減少,將對(duì)英偉達(dá)的業(yè)務(wù)產(chǎn)生嚴(yán)重影響。在周三公布業(yè)績(jī)的同時(shí)發(fā)布的10-Q申報(bào)文件中,英偉達(dá)表示第二季度,四家客戶(未具名)貢獻(xiàn)了公司46%的營(yíng)收。
在周三的電話會(huì)議上,當(dāng)被問到這些風(fēng)險(xiǎn)時(shí),CEO黃仁勛表示,對(duì)GPU芯片的需求在短期內(nèi)不會(huì)消失。他表示,開發(fā)更先進(jìn)、更強(qiáng)大的大語言模型的行業(yè)競(jìng)賽,需要更強(qiáng)大的人工智能芯片。而公司對(duì)于將人工智能服務(wù)整合到產(chǎn)品和業(yè)務(wù)當(dāng)中的需求,意味著云服務(wù)提供商別無選擇,只能繼續(xù)提升人工智能能力。
黃仁勛表示:“看看全球的云服務(wù)提供商,他們幾乎沒有可用的GPU容量?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
在備受期待的季度業(yè)績(jī)報(bào)告中,人工智能芯片廠商英偉達(dá)(Nvidia)輕松超過了華爾街的銷售預(yù)測(cè),但由于市場(chǎng)對(duì)其期望過高,而且公司下一代芯片Blackwell的生產(chǎn)出現(xiàn)了一些小問題,影響了投資者的熱情,導(dǎo)致公司股價(jià)下滑。
英偉達(dá)的市值超過3萬億美元,在全球排在第二位。周三,在業(yè)績(jī)報(bào)告公布后的盤后交易中,英偉達(dá)股價(jià)下跌近7%。
此次股價(jià)波動(dòng)使英偉達(dá)的市值縮水超過2,000億美元,這凸顯出這家硅谷芯片廠商和對(duì)人工智能商業(yè)潛力的高期望值,已經(jīng)成為推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)的重要力量。
英偉達(dá)表示,第二季度公司營(yíng)收同比增長(zhǎng)超過122%,總計(jì)達(dá)到300億美元。根據(jù)彭博社匯總的預(yù)估數(shù)據(jù),這遠(yuǎn)高于289億美元的平均分析師預(yù)估。英偉達(dá)稱,營(yíng)收增長(zhǎng)得益于其Hopper GPU芯片的銷量增長(zhǎng)。對(duì)英偉達(dá)芯片的強(qiáng)勁需求推動(dòng)了公司的利潤(rùn)增長(zhǎng),使其毛利率達(dá)到75.1%,調(diào)整后每股收益為68美分(分析師預(yù)測(cè)的每股收益為65美分)。
英偉達(dá)表示,基于新Blackwell架構(gòu)的芯片,將在今年第四季度開始出貨,這符合先前公布的下半年出貨的計(jì)劃(盡管是在原計(jì)劃日期范圍的后半段)。英偉達(dá)還承認(rèn)在生產(chǎn)過程中遇到了一些挑戰(zhàn),需要對(duì)“GPU掩膜”進(jìn)行更改,以提高“生產(chǎn)良率”。
本月早些時(shí)候,科技資訊網(wǎng)站The Information報(bào)道稱,Blackwell的設(shè)計(jì)缺陷可能導(dǎo)致出貨時(shí)間推遲三個(gè)月甚至更長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。英偉達(dá)CEO黃仁勛在周三的分析師電話會(huì)議上表示,生產(chǎn)問題已經(jīng)解決。黃仁勛表示:“沒有必要的功能修改?!?/p>
該公司表示,今年第四季度預(yù)計(jì)將“通過Blackwell實(shí)現(xiàn)數(shù)十億美元的收入”。
黃仁勛在分析師電話會(huì)議上表示:“Blackwell將徹底改變整個(gè)行業(yè),而且它的影響將持續(xù)到明年。”
人工智能支出放緩的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)
英偉達(dá)曾經(jīng)是一家為視頻游戲廠商提供圖形加速器的設(shè)計(jì)公司。該公司的GPU成為驅(qū)動(dòng)生成式人工智能服務(wù)的關(guān)鍵組件,如OpenAI的ChatGPT和谷歌(Google)的Gemini等。分析師表示,雖然面臨芯片廠商AMD和Cerebras與Groq等初創(chuàng)公司的競(jìng)爭(zhēng),但英偉達(dá)當(dāng)前控制了90%的人工智能芯片市場(chǎng)。
隨著人工智能熱的興起,谷歌、Meta和亞馬遜(Amazon)等互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司為了提供人工智能服務(wù),在基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施方面投入了數(shù)百億美元,而英偉達(dá)成為最大的受益者之一。英偉達(dá)的市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位使公司股價(jià)暴漲,今年已上漲超過一倍,目前它在標(biāo)普500指數(shù)中的占比高達(dá)近7%。
盡管如此,在人工智能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施領(lǐng)域的巨額投資加劇了人們的持續(xù)擔(dān)憂,即消費(fèi)者和企業(yè)最終是否會(huì)購買足夠多的人工智能服務(wù),來證明這些投資是合理的。而英偉達(dá)的業(yè)務(wù)高度集中在Meta(Meta宣稱今年計(jì)劃囤積350,000枚英偉達(dá)GPU芯片)等幾家大客戶,因此人工智能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施支出減少,將對(duì)英偉達(dá)的業(yè)務(wù)產(chǎn)生嚴(yán)重影響。在周三公布業(yè)績(jī)的同時(shí)發(fā)布的10-Q申報(bào)文件中,英偉達(dá)表示第二季度,四家客戶(未具名)貢獻(xiàn)了公司46%的營(yíng)收。
在周三的電話會(huì)議上,當(dāng)被問到這些風(fēng)險(xiǎn)時(shí),CEO黃仁勛表示,對(duì)GPU芯片的需求在短期內(nèi)不會(huì)消失。他表示,開發(fā)更先進(jìn)、更強(qiáng)大的大語言模型的行業(yè)競(jìng)賽,需要更強(qiáng)大的人工智能芯片。而公司對(duì)于將人工智能服務(wù)整合到產(chǎn)品和業(yè)務(wù)當(dāng)中的需求,意味著云服務(wù)提供商別無選擇,只能繼續(xù)提升人工智能能力。
黃仁勛表示:“看看全球的云服務(wù)提供商,他們幾乎沒有可用的GPU容量?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
AI chipmaker Nvidia handily topped Wall Street sales targets in its highly anticipated quarterly earnings report — but the combination of sky high expectations and revelations of a minor production snag involving the company’s next-generation Blackwell chips derailed investor enthusiasm and sent shares sliding.
Shares of Nvidia, the world’s second most valuable public company with a market cap that has exceeded $3 trillion, were down nearly 7% at in after hours trading on Wednesday following the report.
The stock move, which wiped out more than $200 billion in market value, underscored the extent to which the Silicon Valley chipmaker, and red-hot expectations around the business potential of AI, have become a driving economic force.
Nvidia said revenue in the second quarter increased by more than 122% year-over-year, totaling $30 billion. That was well above the average analyst estimate of $28.9 billion, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The results were driven by sales of Nvidia’s Hopper GPU, the company said. The strong demand for Nvidia’s chips boosted the bottom line, with the chipmaker delivering gross profit margins of 75.1% and adjusted earnings per share of 68 cents (analysts were expecting EPS of 65 cents).
Chips based on the new Blackwell architecture are slated to ship to customers in the fourth quarter of the year, Nvidia said, in line with previously announced plans (albeit at the back end of the date range) to begin shipments in the second half of the year. But the company also acknowledged production challenges that it said had required a change to the “GPU mask to improve production yield.”
Earlier this month, tech news site The Information reported that a design flaw with Blackwell would delay shipments by three months or more. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described the production problem as resolved on Wednesday, during a conference call with analysts. “There were no functional changes necessary,” Huang said.
The company said it expects to ship “several billion dollars in Blackwell revenue” in the fourth quarter of the year.
“Blackwell is going to be a complete game changer for the industry. And Blackwell is going to carry into the following year,” Huang told analysts on the call.
The risk of a slowdown in AI spending
Once a designer of graphics accelerators for video gamers, Nvidia has turned its GPUs into vital components for powering generative AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. While Nvidia faces competition from rival chipmaker AMD and startups including Cerebras and Groq, the company currently controls 90% of the market for AI chips, according to analysts.
As such, Nvidia has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI craze, as internet companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon spend tens of billions of dollars on the infrastructure to provide AI services. Nvidia’s dominance has fueled a massive rally in the company’s stock, which has more than doubled this year and now represents nearly 7% of the S&P 500.
Still, the massive spending on AI infrastructure has fueled persistent worries about whether consumers and businesses will ultimately purchase enough AI services to justify the investments. And with Nvidia’s business so concentrated among several large customers like Meta (which has boasted of plans to amass a stockpile of 350,000 Nvidia GPUs this year), a pullback in AI infrastructure spending could have a big impact on Nvidia’s business. In its 10-Q filling released along with its results on Wednesday, Nvidia reported that four unnamed customers accounted for 46% of total revenue in the second quarter.
Asked about these risks on the conference call Wednesday, CEO Huang said the need for GPU chips will not go away anytime soon. The industry race to create more advanced and powerful large language models requires ever more powerful AI chips, he said. And the demand among companies to incorporate AI services into their products and operations means cloud providers have no choice but to keep building out AI capabilities.
“If you just look at the world’s cloud service providers, the amount of GPU capacity they have available, it’s basically none,” Huang said.