Nvidia's board increases chipmaker's share buyback plan by $150 billion

Nvidia’s board has cleared the way for the company to spend $150 billion more in share buybacks as the chipmaking giant looks to make use of more of its stellar revenue growth fueled by demand for its high-end artificial intelligence chips.

The Santa Clara, California, company said Monday the share buyback increase, which it touted as the largest ever, brings its stock repurchase program to $235 billion.

Nvidia said it expects to “execute” the share buyback plan through its fiscal year that ends in Jan. 30, 2028.

Companies use repurchases, in part, to return cash to investors and support the stock’s price. Earnings per share can increase because there are fewer shares outstanding. Buybacks also signal confidence from leadership about a company’s financial prospects.

“NVIDIA’s growth is being driven by a once-in-a-generation platform shift to AI and accelerated computing,” said Jensen Huang, Nvidia's founder and CEO. “Our cash generation gives us the capacity to invest in the technologies that advance this transformation and return capital to shareholders. This authorization reflects our confidence in the long-term opportunity ahead.”

Shares in Nvidia climbed 2.1% in afternoon trading Monday. The stock is up about 24% so far this year.

Nvidia’s high-end chips have emerged as the leading building blocks for AI, and are highly sought after. The company reported quarterly profits of $59.69 billion late last month.

While AI has powered stock market gains and U.S. economic growth in recent years, there’s been growing skepticism about whether AI will justify the trillions of dollars being spent to develop the technology.

The AI industry also faces increasing pushback amid objections to the expansion of data centers and fears that the rapid speed of AI adoption could lead to widespread job losses worldwide.