STORY: Nvidia became the world's most valuable company on Tuesday on an insatiable demand for its high-end processors.

The chipmaker dethroned tech heavyweight Microsoft just days after overtaking iPhone maker Apple.

:: Source: LSEG Datastream

Nvidia's stock has surged about 173% so far this year, compared with a rise of about 19% for Microsoft.

Demand for Nvidia's chips is outpacing supply.

Tech giants Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Google-owner Alphabet are competing to build out their AI computing capabilities...

But Nvidia commands more than 80% of the market share for AI chips, making it a major winner from surging AI development.

:: Nvidia

The company also recently split its stock 10-for-one, increasing the appeal among individual investors.

It took nine months for the company's market value to expand from $1 trillion to $2 trillion, which it hit in February.

It reached $3 trillion in early June.