Jim Cramer says McDonald's embracing AI at drive-thrus is good news for Nvidia

Published Fri, Feb 23 202412:29 PM EST

McDonald's use of artificial intelligence in drive-thru lanes is a sign adoption of the technology is growing across the U.S., CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday. And that bodes well for the leading maker of AI chips: Nvidia . McDonald's — through strategic partnerships with IBM and Google-parent Alphabet — is testing AI-powered voice recognition at its drive-thrus, the fast-food chain noted Friday in a statement to Cramer, who read it on "Squawk on the Street." "Rest assured, we're all over the AI opportunity at McDonald's," the company's statement said, according to Cramer. "We currently are testing voice recognition at over 100 drive-thrus with the rollout decision slated for later this year." McDonald's is one of many companies experimenting with AI, Cramer said. "This is what's going on all over America, right now. You think that the other guys can possibly risk not having this?" If you like this story, sign up for Jim Cramer's Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free . Nvidia — a stock in Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio used by the CNBC Investing Club — stands to gain as more companies embrace AI, Cramer explained. He noted that most advanced AI models today are built on Nvidia's powerful processers, which can analyze large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. "IBM and Google are certainly amazing companies," added Cramer, whose Trust also owns Alphabet. Both IBM and Alphabet have had relationships with Nvidia for years. Alphabet also makes its own AI chips for certain workloads. Nvidia demonstrated its AI leadership after the close Wednesday, when it delivered a fourth quarter earnings beat that sent shares soaring 16% on Thursday. That added $277 billion in value to the company, the largest one-day gain on record. Nvidia's market cap briefly reached $2 trillion Friday. The chipmaker is now the third-most valuable U.S. company behind Microsoft and Apple. Cramer's Trust also owns Microsoft and Apple. Here's a full list of the stocks in Jim's Charitable Trus t, the portfolio used by the CNBC Investing Club.