Kuala Lumpur, 18 September 2025 — Oracle Corp. startled Wall Street after reporting blowout financial results that underscored its rapid rise into AI infrastructure, pushing shares up sharply and briefly making co-founder Larry Ellison the world’s richest person, a status later reclaimed by Elon Musk. (#) The surge in Oracle’s valuation came from a string of surprise revelations in early September that forced investors to dramatically reassess the company’s future prospects.
Oracle, historically known for its database software, has lately made high-stakes moves to position itself among leaders in cloud computing and AI processing. The company has secured multibillion-dollar deals, most notably with OpenAI, and has become a core infrastructure partner for global platforms that include ByteDance’s TikTok. Analysts say these contracts, coupled with Oracle’s accelerated performance in its cloud-ai business, triggered the sharp 35-36% stock appreciation in a single session — its biggest such move since 1992.
What makes this revival more compelling: Oracle avoided developing its own AI chips but instead doubled down on partnerships with Nvidia and investments in cloud-scale compute capacity. That strategy has allowed it to avoid some of the heavy capital costs associated with chip design, while still positioning itself as a key player in the infrastructure race.
Larry Ellison’s net worth climbed by roughly US$89 billion during the dramatic intra-day stock move. Although this gain was temporary, and he later slipped behind Elon Musk in wealth rankings, the episode served as a potent signal to markets that Oracle is being undervalued.
The Bloomberg Originals video behind the headline traces how relatively quiet Oracle has become a renewed force, thanks to AI tailwinds, strategic contracts, and cloud infrastructure demand. Key questions ahead include whether Oracle can sustain this growth, manage its infrastructure commitments, preserve margins, and avoid over-reliance on a few large customers.
