Nvidia Stock Correction: Microsoft CEO Signals AI Chip Demand Shift

Nvidia’s stock has entered correction territory, declining 17% from its record high of $152.89 on November 21, 2024, as shifting dynamics in the AI chip market raise concerns among investors. The semiconductor giant, which has been the cornerstone of the artificial intelligence revolution, now faces questions about sustained demand as its largest customers signal changing supply constraints.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s recent comments have accelerated Nvidia’s stock decline, with shares dropping 7% following his interview on the B2 podcast. When asked about supply constraints in Microsoft’s AI technology buildout, Nadella revealed a significant shift: “I am power [constrained], yes, I’m not chip supply constrained.” This marks a departure from 2024, when chip supply was the primary bottleneck. Microsoft, representing an estimated 20% of Nvidia’s revenue, is thought to be the chipmaker’s largest customer, making Nadella’s comments particularly impactful.

The statement suggests that supply is finally catching up with demand for Nvidia’s GPUs, which have been in such high demand over the past two years that the company had to selectively prioritize chip allocation. Stories emerged of billionaire tech founders personally appealing to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for more chips. However, this normalization of supply-demand dynamics could temper the explosive growth expectations that have driven Nvidia’s valuation.

Additional headwinds are emerging from AI industry leaders. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai warned that progress in AI models will become more difficult in 2025 because “the low-hanging fruit is gone,” suggesting that simply scaling up compute power may no longer yield proportional improvements. OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever added to concerns by stating, “We’ve achieved peak data and there’ll be no more,” pointing to potential roadblocks in AI development.

Competition is also intensifying. Broadcom’s stellar fourth-quarter earnings, driven by its booming AI business developing custom chips for cloud giants like Amazon and Alphabet, may be triggering rotation among AI investments. Despite these challenges, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives remains bullish, calling this “a digestion period for Nvidia that will be short lived” and describing it as a buy-the-dip opportunity. Wall Street analysts note that Nvidia’s next-generation Blackwell GPU chip already faces at least a one-year backlog, suggesting underlying demand remains strong even as the supply crunch eases.

Key Quotes

I am power [constrained], yes, I’m not chip supply constrained.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made this statement in a podcast interview, marking a significant shift in the AI infrastructure narrative. As Nvidia’s largest customer representing 20% of its revenue, Nadella’s acknowledgment that chip supply is no longer the bottleneck suggests demand dynamics are normalizing after two years of extreme scarcity.

When you start out quickly scaling up, you can throw more compute and you can make a lot of progress, but you definitely are going to need deeper breakthroughs as we go to the next stage.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai offered this cautionary perspective on AI development, warning that the “low-hanging fruit is gone.” This suggests the AI industry may be hitting diminishing returns from simply adding more computing power, potentially impacting future demand for AI chips.

We’ve achieved peak data and there’ll be no more.

OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever made this stark statement about data availability for training AI models. This comment highlights a fundamental constraint that could limit AI development regardless of chip availability, adding to concerns about the sustainability of explosive growth in AI infrastructure spending.

This is a digestion period for Nvidia that will be short lived. We view Nvidia as a table pounder AI name to own as the Godfather of AI Jensen is leading this 4th Industrial Revolution into 2025.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives provided this bullish counterpoint despite Nvidia’s correction. His perspective represents the view that current weakness is temporary and that Nvidia remains central to the AI revolution, suggesting investors should view the decline as a buying opportunity rather than a fundamental shift.

Our Take

This correction reveals the delicate balance between hype and reality in AI infrastructure investing. While Nvidia’s decline may alarm some investors, it actually represents a healthy market maturation. The shift from chip scarcity to power constraints doesn’t signal weakening AI demand—it shows the industry is evolving beyond its initial chaotic phase.

The real story here is market diversification. Broadcom’s success with custom AI chips and the emergence of power as the new bottleneck suggest opportunities are spreading across the AI value chain. Nvidia’s one-year Blackwell backlog indicates strong underlying demand, but the days of unchallenged dominance may be ending.

Most significantly, comments from Pichai and Sutskever about AI development challenges hint at a coming inflection point where algorithmic innovation may matter more than raw compute power. This could reshape the entire AI investment landscape, favoring companies that can deliver efficiency and breakthroughs over those simply scaling existing approaches. For long-term investors, this volatility may separate sustainable AI leaders from those riding a temporary wave.

Why This Matters

This development represents a critical inflection point for the AI industry’s infrastructure buildout. For two years, Nvidia has been the primary beneficiary of unprecedented demand for AI computing power, with its stock becoming synonymous with the AI revolution. The shift from chip supply constraints to power constraints signals that the AI industry is maturing beyond its initial frantic scaling phase.

The implications extend beyond Nvidia’s stock price. If major customers like Microsoft are no longer chip-constrained, it suggests the AI infrastructure race may be entering a new phase where optimization and efficiency matter more than raw compute accumulation. Comments from leaders like Sundar Pichai about AI progress becoming harder indicate the industry may need breakthrough innovations rather than simply more hardware.

For businesses and investors, this signals potential volatility in AI infrastructure stocks and a possible broadening of opportunities beyond pure-play chip manufacturers to companies offering custom solutions, power infrastructure, and software optimization. The emergence of competitors like Broadcom in custom AI chips also suggests the market is diversifying, which could be healthy for long-term innovation but challenging for Nvidia’s dominance. This moment will test whether Nvidia can maintain its leadership as the AI industry evolves from a supply-constrained land grab to a more mature, efficiency-focused phase.

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Source: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nvidia-stock-price-correction-microsoft-ceo-ai-chip-demand-frenzy-2024-12