Beyond NVIDIA: 3 US AI Leaders Powering the Next Tech Wave

Core Insights - The AI revolution is significantly impacting various industries, with NVIDIA being a prominent player, but other companies like TSMC, Alphabet, and Meta are also crucial in building the AI ecosystem [1][16]. Group 1: TSMC - TSMC is the largest contract chip manufacturer globally, focusing on producing chips for major clients like Apple, NVIDIA, and AMD [2]. - In 2024, TSMC achieved a record revenue of NT$2,894.31 billion (US$94.5 billion), marking a 34% year-on-year increase, with further growth expected in 2025 [3]. - The company plans to invest US$40 billion to US$42 billion in capital expenditures, primarily for 3-nanometre and 2-nanometre production nodes, which are essential for next-generation AI chips [4]. - AI chips constituted 15% of TSMC's revenue in 2024, projected to rise to 50% by 2029, with gross profit margins improving from 54.4% in 2023 to 56.1% in 2024 [4][5]. Group 2: Alphabet - AI is integrated into every aspect of Alphabet's business, with its advertising segment generating US$264.6 billion of total revenue in 2024, reflecting an 11% year-on-year growth [6][7]. - Google Cloud contributed US$43.2 billion in 2024, a 30.6% increase year-on-year, accounting for approximately 12% of total revenue [8]. - R&D spending increased from US$45.4 billion in 2023 to US$49.3 billion in 2024, although as a percentage of total revenue, it slightly declined from 15% to 14% [9]. Group 3: Meta - Meta utilizes AI to enhance user experiences across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with a focus on content personalization [11]. - The company allocated US$37.3 billion in capital expenditures in 2024, a nearly 38% year-on-year increase, primarily for data centers and network equipment [12]. - Meta's revenue rose 22% year-on-year to US$164.50 billion in 2024, with daily active users increasing from 3.19 billion in 2023 to 3.35 billion in 2024 [13]. - Operating margin expanded to over 42% in 2024, up from under 35% the previous year, and free cash flow increased from US$44 billion to over US$54 billion [14][15]. Group 4: Investment Implications - The AI boom encompasses a broader ecosystem beyond NVIDIA, with TSMC, Alphabet, and Meta playing vital roles in the development and integration of AI technologies [16][18]. - Investing across various layers of the AI ecosystem can provide exposure to long-term growth and resilience in the market [17].