NVIDIA Stock Has 38% Upside as AI Chip Demand Soars, Says BofA

NVIDIA’s stock is poised for significant gains, according to Bank of America analysts who raised their price target from $165 to $190 on Thursday, suggesting a 38% upside from Friday’s midday trading price of approximately $138 per share. The bullish outlook is driven by explosive growth projections in the artificial intelligence market.

The analysts highlight what they call a “generational opportunity” for NVIDIA as the company solidifies its dominant position in the AI chip market. They forecast the AI accelerator market will surge from $45 billion in 2023 to $280 billion by 2027, with potential to exceed $400 billion over time. This exponential growth trajectory underscores the massive demand for computing power as AI technology advances.

The development of increasingly sophisticated AI models is a key driver behind this optimism. Major tech companies including OpenAI, Google, and Meta are launching new large language models (LLMs) multiple times per year, each requiring substantially more computational resources than their predecessors. Bank of America analysts note that newer LLM generations, particularly those designed for larger scale and enhanced reasoning capabilities, demand greater training intensity and therefore more powerful hardware.

NVIDIA’s strategic partnerships with enterprise giants further strengthen its market position. The company has established deep relationships with major corporations including Accenture, ServiceNow, Oracle, and Microsoft. These collaborations demonstrate both the growing adoption of AI across industries and NVIDIA’s status as the preferred partner for AI infrastructure. The analysts specifically highlighted NVIDIA’s comprehensive ecosystem approach, noting that offerings like AI Foundry, AI Hubs, and NIMs position the company as a leader not just in hardware but in complete AI systems and ecosystems.

From a financial perspective, NVIDIA’s fundamentals are exceptionally strong. The company generates free cash flow at impressive 45%-50% margins, nearly double that of other Magnificent 7 tech stocks. This financial strength is projected to produce $200 billion in free cash flow over the next two years, providing substantial resources for continued innovation and market expansion.

NVIDIA’s stock performance has been remarkable, surging 187% year-to-date as the AI boom continues. While the sector experienced a brief summer sell-off, it has since recovered strongly, with NVIDIA and fellow chip manufacturer TSMC trading at or near all-time highs in recent weeks.

Key Quotes

We continue to see the pace of new model development increase. LLMs in particular are being developed for both larger size and better reasoning capabilities, which both require greater training intensity

Bank of America analysts explained the accelerating demand for AI computing power, emphasizing that each generation of large language models requires significantly more computational resources for training, directly benefiting NVIDIA’s chip business.

NVDA’s engagements span multiple verticals (e.g., Accenture, ServiceNow, Microsoft), and offerings such as AI Foundry, AI Hubs, NIMs are key levers to its AI leadership, not only on the hardware side but also on systems/ecosystems side

The analysts highlighted NVIDIA’s comprehensive approach to AI infrastructure, noting that the company’s value extends beyond chip manufacturing to include complete ecosystem solutions across diverse industry sectors.

Our Take

Bank of America’s bullish stance on NVIDIA reflects a broader recognition that we’re still in the early innings of AI infrastructure buildout. The projected market expansion from $45 billion to $400 billion isn’t just impressive—it’s transformative. What’s particularly noteworthy is the emphasis on NVIDIA’s ecosystem strategy rather than just chip sales. This suggests the company is building sustainable competitive moats that extend beyond hardware performance into software, partnerships, and developer tools. The 45%-50% free cash flow margins are extraordinary and provide NVIDIA with resources to maintain its lead through continued R&D investment. However, investors should remain mindful of potential risks including competition from custom AI chips developed by major cloud providers, geopolitical tensions affecting chip supply chains, and the possibility of AI investment cycles cooling. Despite these considerations, NVIDIA’s current positioning in the AI infrastructure stack appears remarkably strong, and the company seems well-equipped to capitalize on the multi-year AI transformation ahead.

Why This Matters

This analysis from Bank of America represents a significant vote of confidence in both NVIDIA and the broader AI industry at a critical inflection point. The projected growth of the AI accelerator market from $45 billion to potentially $400 billion signals a fundamental transformation in computing infrastructure across industries. NVIDIA’s dominance in this space positions it as the primary beneficiary of AI’s expansion, making its stock performance a bellwether for the entire AI sector.

The emphasis on increasing computational requirements for next-generation AI models highlights a crucial trend: as AI capabilities advance, the hardware demands grow exponentially rather than linearly. This creates a sustained growth cycle where each breakthrough in AI software drives demand for more powerful chips. For businesses, this underscores the massive capital investments required to remain competitive in AI development and deployment.

The strong enterprise partnerships mentioned signal that AI has moved beyond experimental phases into production deployment at scale across multiple industries. This mainstream adoption validates the technology’s practical value and suggests sustained, long-term demand rather than a speculative bubble. For investors, workers, and businesses, NVIDIA’s trajectory offers insights into where AI infrastructure spending is headed and which companies are positioned to capture value in the AI economy.

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Source: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nvidia-stock-upside-growth-ai-chips-demand-bofa-2024-10