Over the years, some British investors have bemoaned the shortage Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) v FTSE100. They didn’t necessarily want a clone of the AI ​​chipmaker, rather a stock that would rise by a staggering amount in a low period of time.

Nvidia has certainly done that, growing by around 1,000% in the three years since ChatGPT launched in behind schedule 2022. Chatbot started an entire artificial intelligence revolution that Nvidia chips are still powering today.

However, the FTSE 100 has such a case. His Rolls-Royce (LSE:RR), an unlikely engine maker whose shares have exploded 1120% higher in just over three years. Believe it or not, that’s actually better than Nvidia’s 700% growth over that period.

Growing profits

These are, of course, very different businesses – one produces jet engines, the other produces AI chips. However, Rolls-Royce’s financial results were, in their own way, as spectacular as Nvidia’s.

In 2025, underlying operating profit reached almost £3.5 billion, up from £1.6 billion in 2023. It more than doubled, with operating margin increasing from 10.3% to 17.3%.

Similarly, Nvidia’s profits have skyrocketed – they have more than quadrupled in that time!

Another common feature is that both companies have mastered the art of creation ‘hit and raise.’” In other words, they consistently report earnings that exceed analyst expectations and then raise their future forecasts.

For example, the medium-term goals that Rolls-Royce set itself at the end of 2023 have already been achieved, two years earlier. Meanwhile, Nvidia continues to post record profits quarter after quarter despite being arguably the most closely followed company on Wall Street.

However, according to Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IGemphasizes: “Rolls-Royce managed to do what Nvidia couldn’t – engineer a share price rebound following the results“

He was referring to yesterday’s (February 26) share price performance, when Rolls shares rose 5.1% and Nvidia fell 5.5%. This is despite the chipmaker reporting fourth-quarter revenue of $68.1 billion, a 73% year-on-year growth.

Beauchamp added: “Nvidia’s FTSE 100-listed version looks set to continue delivering value to investors as it responds to renewed demand for defense spending in Europe and novel growth in the U.S. [spending] along the way too“.

Construction of a data center

There’s another way Rolls-Royce is emulating Nvidia – its data center development. While the latter equips them with AI processors, the FTSE 100 company is quietly making money on the development of the power of artificial intelligence.

You see, its Power Systems division provides the massive backup engines required to keep power-hungry AI servers running 24/7. In 2025, data centers helped generate 19% growth in the entity’s revenues, including a 30% augment in energy production.

Nvidia fatigue

Nvidia’s stock price hasn’t fallen since August, suggesting some degree of Nvidia fatigue. The AI ​​revolution is causing concern among investors, and a key risk is that cloud giants’ spending will snail-paced down at some point.

Will the same fate await Rolls-Royce? Probably at some point, especially if the hits and bounces become moderate and start to fade. The stock is currently very pricey, with earnings around 40 times higher than projected earnings for this year.

In turn, Nvidia is betting on 24 times the forecast earnings. Significant discount on Rolls-Royce.

Of course, there’s nothing stopping long-term investors from considering both stocks. But now my choice is Nvidia.