NVIDIA's Next Earnings Report on Aug. 26 Could Send the Stock Soaring. Here's Why.

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings after market close on Aug. 26. As the biggest AI stock in the world, Nvidia's results will affect not only the company's share price but also valuations across the AI industry.

A new wrinkle will be revealed in Nvidia's upcoming earnings report. This revelation could have a sizable effect on Nvidia's stock price.

This new detail could influence Nvidia's stock price

Nvidia has become the largest AI company on the planet not by inventing AI technologies itself, but by selling its hardware to other AI businesses. The company's GPUs -- critical components that allow AI companies to train and execute their AI models -- are widely believed the be the best in the industry, with market share estimates typically at 85% or above.

Nvidia's future, therefore, relies on spending by the rest of the AI industry. But how much of this sales base consists of just a handful of hyperscalers?

Nvidia is already required to report material customers that account for more than 10% of total sales. But it isn't required to disclose the exact names of these customers. All we know is that last quarter, three customers accounted for 21%, 17%, and 16% of total revenue, respectively. It's not known, however, whether these customers are large AI companies or simply distribution intermediaries that, in turn, sell to a variety of AI customers.

Image source: Nvidia

Nvidia has warned investors of customer concentration in the past. "We have experienced periods where we receive a significant amount of our revenue from a limited number of customers, and this trend may continue," the company explained in the second quarter of last year, adding that "large cloud service providers" comprised around half of the company's data center revenue. Data center sales, meanwhile, accounted for 88% of Nvidia's overall revenue that quarter.

Analysts have long wanted more clarity into these numbers. Last quarter, Nvidia began breaking out "Hyperscaler" revenues versus "AI Clouds, Industrial & Enterprise" sales. This breakout essentially helps investors understand how much of Nvidia's sales are being driven by the AI market in general versus a handful of powerful customers, many of which are pursuing the development of their own GPUs.

Last quarter, data center revenue was remarkably balanced. Hyperscalers accounted for $37.9 billion in sales versus $37.4 billion in sales for other customers. That's pretty close to the breakdown the company alluded to this time last year.

Notably, however, hyperscaler revenues grew by just 12% versus 31% sequential growth for the rest of its customer base.

Investors should pay close attention to where these numbers head this quarter. If hyperscaler revenues spike, it could be a sign that Nvidia's chips remain in high demand among industry leaders. But it also increases Nvidia's reliance on a few customers. Last quarter, just three customers accounted for more than 50% of sales. But as mentioned, we cannot be sure if these customers are single entities or businesses that then sell to customers of their own.

Rising sales growth outside of the hyperscalers segment could also spell good or bad news. On one hand, it would lessen Nvidia's customer concentration. On the other hand, it could signal weakening demand among hyperscalers, which are desperate to reduce their own reliance on Nvidia.

What these numbers reveal, and how the market decides to interpret the data, should have an impact on Nvidia's share price after earnings are announced.

Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.