With the digital revolution continuing to forge ahead, we’ve seen big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud companies continue to make headlines. And rightly so — the wonder of cloud computing is its seemingly limitless potential to disrupt and evolve just about any industry.

As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a look at where the cloud made its mark in 2018, along with some key players and new developments in the field.

Below is a list of our five most popular data and cloud news stories of the year. Read on to see what sparked the imaginations of our investor audience.

1. Investors Should Have No More Than 20 Stocks, Keystone Says

At the top of the list is an article on a presentation by Keystone Financial at the Extraordinary Future Conference in September. Keystone, an independent financial research firm, suggested that as a general rule, most investors should hold a maximum of 10 to 20 stocks at any given time.

What did the firm have to say about blockchain stocks like HIVE Blockchain Technologies (TSXV:HIVE)? And what was one of its top-performing stock picks? Read on to find out.

2. NVIDIA Creates AI Technique for Robots to Work with Humans

In May, computing company NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) announced that it had developed the technology necessary to help teach AI to work alongside humans. Its AI actually learns from watching humans — and while that might sound a bit eerie, NVIDIA claims it will free the industry of its bottleneck of training data.

Analysts say that the AI industry could be worth as much as US$1.83 billion by 2023, making it quite an auspicious market for investors. Find out why NVIDIA could be one to watch in the space.

3. UrtheCast Signs US$30-million Contract with TerraTech

Next on our list is a story on UrtheCast (TSX:UR), a geospatial cloud company that signed a US$30-million contract with TerraTech, a subsidiary of the Russian Space Agency. The contract, spaced out over three years, will give TerraTech access to UrtheCast’s UrtheDaily data services.

These data services include high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface via its 20 satellites. Read more here on UrtheCast, and see whether the company is considered a “buy” or not.

4. Health Organizations Embrace IoT and AI, Report Shows

Another article that caught our readers’ attention was this study on the health industry, and its marching progress towards the adoption of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), AI and smart sensors.

The study notes that while the health industry is avidly consuming these technologies, it is woefully unprepared for liability concerns that could arise if these systems fail or malfunction. For example, 86 percent of executives shared that they are using data to make automated decisions, but aren’t able to explain the systems used after the fact. Read on to find out what other findings the study uncovered.

5. Facebook Loses $35 Billion in Market Cap Following Cambridge Analytica Data Breach

Last on our list is a story covering the massive Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) data breach, and the hit the stock took a hit as a result. The data breach, which saw Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, gain access to data for 50 million Facebook users, was in violation of Facebook’s policies, and both users and shareholders were not impressed.

The company lost around US$35 billion in market cap on the news. Continue reading for more details on this cybersecurity blunder.

What were your top data and cloud news stories of 2018? Which cloud companies are you excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Amanda Kay, currently hold no investment in any of the companies mentioned in this article.