Only 30 stocks are included in what's arguably the most prestigious index around -- the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But the stocks that are in the Dow today won't necessarily be the ones in it down the road.

S&P Global's Index Committee can replace a stock at any time. Their main restrictions are that transportation and utility stocks can't be included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. There are two other Dow Jones indexes for those stocks. Dow stocks must also be based in the U.S. with more revenue generated domestically than in other countries.

However, the Index Committee typically tries to ensure a wide range of industries is represented in the Dow. It also prefers large-cap stocks that have delivered growth on a consistent basis, are highly respected, and are widely followed by investors. 

My prediction is that the Dow Jones Industrial Average will change quite a bit over the next few years. Here are three stocks that I think will be in the Dow by 2030.

1. Alphabet

Alphabet (GOOG -2.02%) (GOOGL -2.00%) is the only stock with a market cap of over $1 trillion that isn't in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But I don't think size alone will eventually get Alphabet added to the index. Instead, my hunch is that the rise of two game-changing technologies will.

While Alphabet is best known for its dominance in online search, I think the company's greatest opportunities are in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. These two technological advances will be highly disruptive over the next decade and beyond. 

OpenAI's ChatGPT has overshadowed Alphabet's AI efforts in recent months. However, I suspect that will soon change once Google launches its Bard chatbot. I also view Alphabet's quantum computing initiatives as the most overlooked reason to buy the stock.

Currently, there are three companies in the Dow that are leaders in AI: Apple, IBM, and Microsoft. Two of them, IBM and Microsoft, also have advanced quantum computing efforts. So do a couple of other Dow stocks -- Honeywell and Intel. I predict that by 2030, AI and quantum computing will merit more representation in the Dow. Alphabet will be the logical choice.

2. Amazon

The Dow Jones Industrial Average already includes several stocks with retail connections. However, the index currently leaves out Amazon (AMZN -1.64%), the world's biggest e-commerce retailer and the fourth largest stock based on market cap traded on U.S. exchanges.

E-commerce made up 14.6% of total retail sales in the U.S. last year. I think that percentage will grow considerably by 2030. That could put pressure on S&P Global's Index Committee to add Amazon to the Dow Jones.

However, there could be an even better reason to include Amazon in the blue-chip index within the next seven years. Most of IT spending remains on-premises. That's likely to change in the not too distant future as organizations move their apps and data to the cloud. 

Sure, the Dow already includes a few cloud stocks. But Amazon Web Services ranks as the biggest cloud hosting platform by far. It will undoubtedly grow much larger over the next few years. My hunch is that the increasing importance of the cloud, along with growth in e-commerce, will catapult Amazon into the Dow. 

3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals

You might think the healthcare sector is represented sufficiently in the Dow already. There are currently five healthcare stocks in the index. However, I think there's room for one more. And my vote would go to Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX -0.58%).

Aren't there plenty of healthcare stocks with larger market caps than Vertex that aren't in the Dow? Yep. I think, though, that Vertex will be much bigger by 2030. I even expect the biotech will at least double in size by then.

Vertex's cystic fibrosis (CF) franchise sales should expand significantly in the coming years. The company could branch out beyond CF soon with anticipated regulatory approvals of exa-cel in treating sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. It hopes to win approval for non-opioid pain drug VX-548 in the near future.

By 2030, Vertex could have a therapy on the market for treating APOL1-mediated kidney disease. It just might also have a functional cure for type 1 diabetes as well. 

I'll admit that Vertex is probably less likely to be added to the Dow than Alphabet and Amazon are. But if the Index Committee looks to add another healthcare stock or replace an existing one, Vertex could have a good shot at making it into the Dow.