The artificial intelligence (AI) boom is in full swing, and there are no signs of it letting up. With the technology looking to be a game-changer that could reshape the world we are living in, it is a place you want to be invested.
Let's look at three top AI stocks to buy right now.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Nvidia
No company has captured the AI infrastructure wave like Nvidia (NVDA 1.45%). Its graphics processing units (GPUs) went from powering video games to becoming the must-have hardware for training AI models, and it hasn't let go of that lead.
The company built a deep moat with CUDA, as most code for optimizing GPUs was written using its proprietary software platform. Switching off CUDA would mean rewriting code and retraining engineers, which is why Nvidia controls over 90% of the AI GPU market.
NASDAQ: NVDA
Key Data Points
Nvidia also smartly moved early into networking. Its NVLink technology lets its GPUs work together as a single system, which is critical for running AI workloads. Its acquisition of Mellanox, meanwhile, gave Nvidia a major presence in data center networking. Last quarter, its networking revenue nearly doubled to $7.3 billion.
Nvidia sees the AI infrastructure market growing to be between $3 trillion to $4 trillion in the next several years from around $600 billion today. With AI infrastructure spending still booming, Nvidia looks well-positioned to continue to be one of AI's biggest winners.
2. Alphabet
Alphabet (GOOGL 0.15%) (GOOG 0.28%) has quickly turned what was seen as a threat into a growth driver. A year ago, many investors thought AI would cannibalize Google Search, but search revenue growth has actually picked up. Features like AI Overviews, Lens, and Circle to Search are driving more queries, and many of those have commercial intent, which feed into Alphabet's massive ad network. The recent federal court decision letting Alphabet keep not only Android and Chrome, but also the key parts of its Apple search deal intact, was another big win, preserving its distribution advantage.
NASDAQ: GOOGL
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AI is also giving Alphabet's cloud computing business a boost. Google Cloud revenue jumped 32% last quarter and profits more than doubled, with demand for AI infrastructure leading the way. Alphabet is one of the few players with a fully integrated AI stack. It not only owns the infrastructure, but it also has one of the top AI models in Gemini and its own custom AI chips. The company's impending acquisition of fast-growing cloud computing security company Wiz only further fortifies its cloud offering.
In addition to search and cloud computing, Alphabet has other bets that could pay off in the future. At the top of this list is its Waymo robotaxi business, which is expanding quickly around the country. The company needs to lower the costs of its vehicles and gain scale, but this is another big potential long-term growth driver. The company is also investing in quantum computing, having made strong progress in reducing error rates with its Willow chip. Quantum computing is years away from being commercialized, but it could be another big opportunity.
Between its strong, growing core business and the potential of its emerging bets, Alphabet is a stock to own for the long haul.
3. Microsoft
Microsoft (MSFT +1.11%) moved quickly to make AI a core part of its strategy, starting with its big investment in OpenAI. That deal gave it early access to OpenAI's most advanced large language models (LLMs) and allowed it to roll out AI assistant copilots across its productivity suite. Those copilots are now gaining traction with enterprise customers.
NASDAQ: MSFT
Key Data Points
The even bigger driver has been with its cloud business, as customers have flocked to Azure to gain access to OpenAI's models. This growth was still going strong last quarter, with Azure revenue jumping 39%. Revenue could have been even higher if not for capacity constraints. Microsoft is ramping up capital spending to add GPUs and servers directly tied to AI workloads, which should support continued growth.
Microsoft and OpenAI recently announced that they have come to an agreement to change their relationship to allow OpenAI to restructure into a for-profit company. While terms were not disclosed, it should allow Microsoft to gain preferred access to OpenAI's technology and share in its revenue growth.
Microsoft was firing on all cylinders last quarter, with strong growth across its segments, driven by AI. Given its leadership in workforce productivity tools and cloud computing, the stock looks like it will be a long-term AI winner.
