Apple is getting closer to becoming the first company valued at US$4 trillion

A Apple is about to reach an impressive milestone: becoming the first company to reach a market value of US$4 trillion. According to a report from Fortunethe Cupertino giant’s recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence have been fundamental to this significant increase in the market.

The company became a trillion-dollar company in 2018, reaching the US$1 trillion mark in market value on August 2 of that year.

The Golden Age of Apple Intelligence

For Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush, the company is entering its “golden age of growth”, driven by what he calls Apple Intelligence. This strategy involves the integration of AI into several of the brand’s products. In market terms, this raised the target price for the company’s shares to US$325, compared to the US$300 previously forecast.

Growth catalysts include:

• Development of new AI-based applications
• iPhone update cycles expected over the next 12 to 18 months

These factors, according to Ives, reinforce the market’s optimism regarding Apple’s future. Another analyst, Samik Chatterjee of JP Morgan, shares a similar view. It highlights the impact of Apple’s investments in services and the constant evolution of its devices. Furthermore, it highlights the return of hundreds of billions of dollars to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases as a key element in the company’s stability and success.

Competition in the Age of AI

Currently valued at US$3.79 trillion, Apple leads the global market capitalization ranking, with a 40% increase in the value of its shares throughout 2024. However, the distance to its main competitors, NVIDIA and Microsoft, It’s not that big.

NVIDIA, valued at US$3.29 trillion (R$20.8 trillion), stands out as one of the main suppliers of GPUs for generative AI solutions and achieved in 2024 the most emblematic year of its trajectory to date.

Microsoft, with a market value of US$3.13 trillion (R$19.8 trillion), continues to expand its portfolio with tools such as Copilot and a strong partnership with OpenAI.

Although the competition is fierce, Apple’s advantage lies in its unique ability to integrate hardware and software, a differentiator often highlighted by experts.