It's not Amazon, it's not Apple and it's not Microsoft - Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT Technology Review has just declared NVIDIA as the smartest company in 2017.
Technology and innovation drive business and some companies are better at that than others.
Every year, MIT Technology Review ranks companies for their annual 50 Smartest Companies list.
These include companies, both public and private, originating across the globe.
“The companies on the list combine a high level of technology innovation with a business model that will help them make the most of it,” states Nanette Byrnes, senior editor for business.
“Public, private, large and small, based in countries around the globe, this group of companies are creating new opportunities and pouncing on them, these are the ones that competitors must follow.”
Artificial intelligence, a technology that MIT Technology Review believes will drive much of the economic growth over the next few years, is sprinkled throughout the list.
The company at the top, Nvidia, has gained expertise in AI and used it to transform itself.
Nvidia was once known as a maker of chips for gaming, it is now a leading player in deep learning and autonomous vehicles.
MIT Technology Review 50 Smartest Companies 2017
What Business Are These Companies in?
While technology is the basis for this ranking, it spans firms that map human genetics in search of cures for rare diseases, drone manufacturers, social media companies and even firms that supply 3-D printing tech for sneakers.
In terms of industries, those in the business of intelligent machines and artificial intelligence constituted almost a third of the total followed by biomedicine firms (22%), and firms in the business of connectivity comprising 20%.
Smartest Companies 2017: By Industry
Source: MIT Technology Review