Artificial intelligence (AI) doesn't run on chips alone. It runs on the networks that connect them, the real estate that houses them, and the systems that package them. AI deployment requires data center capacity, high-speed networking, optical interconnects, and rack-scale integration. The seven stocks below capture the infrastructure layer beyond chips and graphics processing units (GPUs).
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) generate dividend income while locking in multiyear leases. Networking and component suppliers benefit from bandwidth requirements that multiply with cluster size. Custom silicon designers provide alternatives to standard GPUs while supplying the switching chips that coordinate traffic. And system integrators package components into qualified racks that reduce deployment time.
Read on to find out more about these seven top AI stocks.
Image source: Getty Images.
The wholesale-capacity provider
Digital Realty Trust (DLR +0.00%) owns and operates more than 300 data centers across six continents, leasing wholesale colocation space and powered shell facilities to enterprise customers and hyperscalers. The company has posted record AI-driven leasing activity and raised guidance multiple times in 2025, as hyperscalers pre-commit capacity well ahead of power-on.
The REIT structure requires 90% of taxable income to be paid as dividends. At current levels, Digital Realty Trust yields a respectable 2.72% on an annualized basis.
NYSE: DLR
Key Data Points
The global interconnection hub
Equinix (EQIX 0.58%) operates more than 270 data centers globally, specializing in interconnection services and colocation for enterprises, cloud providers, and network operators. The REIT is ramping up capital expenditures to $4 billion to $5 billion annually through 2029 to add AI-ready capacity, including AI-optimized sites with liquid cooling, such as a Chennai, India facility designed for high-density GPU deployments. Equinix yields a healthy 2.23% at current levels.
The Ethernet fabric specialist
Arista Networks (ANET +2.42%) designs cloud networking switches and software for data centers, specializing in high-performance ethernet. The company's 400G and 800G platforms are being deployed in AI cluster fabrics, with new Etherlink products for in-rack GPU scale-up networks. Arista captures networking spend as clusters scale beyond single cabinets, with switches that prevent network bottlenecks from slowing training runs.
The optical transceiver provider
Coherent Corp. (COHR 0.50%) manufactures lasers, optical components, and networking products, including optical transceivers for data center networks. The company supplies drivers and transceivers for 800G, 1.6T, and 400G data center interconnect links that connect distributed AI infrastructure across buildings and campuses. As training and inference span multiple facilities, Coherent's optical components generate recurring revenue from high-bandwidth connections between sites.
NYSE: COHR
Key Data Points
The fiber and cabling manufacturer
Corning (GLW +3.85%) produces specialty glass, ceramics, and optical fiber for communications networks, with optical communications representing roughly one-third of revenue. The company supplies fiber-optic cable and connectivity for AI data center builds, where longer runs, higher fiber counts per rack, and denser architectures increase content per deployment. Analysts project significant 2025 growth in Corning's Optical segment driven by AI interconnect demand.
The custom accelerator designer
Broadcom (AVGO +0.62%) designs semiconductors and infrastructure software for data center, networking, and wireless markets. The company designs custom AI accelerators (XPUs) for hyperscalers seeking alternatives to off-the-shelf GPUs and supplies Ethernet switching chips for AI cluster networks. AI-related revenue has surged in recent quarters, as customers build proprietary silicon and need networking chips to connect processors without bottlenecks.
The rack-scale systems integrator
Super Micro Computer (SMCI +8.64%) designs and manufactures high-performance server and storage systems. It focuses on application-optimized, liquid-cooled rack-scale deployments. The company is shipping complete AI systems for Nvidia's newest platforms, including GB300 NVL72 rack-scale and HGX B200/B300 systems.
NASDAQ: SMCI
Key Data Points
Its packaging, thermal engineering, and factory integration turn parts into ready-to-deploy clusters. Customers pay a premium for these pre-validated racks to compress installation from months to weeks. Super Micro faces accounting scrutiny and delayed filings, which create execution and oversight risk, even as demand for integrated AI racks accelerates.
