There are plenty of great technology stocks to choose from right now, especially considering that the artificial intelligence boom is well underway. But finding great stocks to buy and hold for the long term isn't the same as picking the current winners.
Here are three fantastic companies that have not just benefited from the current AI boom, but also have all the right pieces in place to help your $5,000 grow for years to come.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Micron Technology is positioned to go the distance in AI
Micron Technology (MU 3.29%) designs and manufactures dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and NAND flash memory, which is critical hardware for AI data centers. Spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is forecast to reach as much as $4 trillion over the next five years, and the buildout of that infrastructure is helping to fuel Micron's sales and earnings.
The company recently reported its results for its fiscal 2026 first quarter (which ended Nov. 27), in which sales rose 56% year over year to $13.6 billion, and non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share jumped by 167% to $4.78. Management said demand is so high for its memory products that the company is having a hard time keeping up. "We are more than sold out," Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana told CNBC last month.
At some point, data center spending will slow down, but no one knows when that will be, nor how much of a slowdown will occur. In the meantime, Micron's shares have surged by 250% over the past year alone as its top and bottom lines have grown. With years of AI infrastructure spending likely still ahead, buying shares of the memory specialist and holding for years could be a wise move.
NASDAQ: MU
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2. Nvidia will remain an AI leader for years to come
Suggesting that Nvidia (NVDA 1.53%) is a good long-term AI stock isn't a novel idea, but ignoring it in favor of flashier artificial intelligence companies could be a mistake.
Nvidia's management believes that total AI data center infrastructure spending could hit $4 trillion by 2030, and the world's leading tech companies have already committed to hundreds of billions of dollars in AI data center spending.
The results speak for themselves: Nvidia's data center revenue jumped 62% to $57 billion in its fiscal third quarter (which ended Oct. 26), and non-GAAP earnings per share climbed 67% to $1.30. And there doesn't appear to be any scaling back on demand. CEO Jensen Huang recently described sales of the company's Blackwell processors as "off the charts."
NASDAQ: NVDA
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An estimated 70% to 95% of AI data centers use Nvidia's processors, and that's unlikely to change any time soon. With tech companies continuing to spend more on data centers and Nvidia as the clear AI chip leader, it's a recipe for success for years to come.
3. Alphabet has caught up in the AI race
Alphabet (GOOG 1.69%) (GOOGL 1.67%) seemingly got off to a slow start in the AI race, but its consistent approach to updating its AI chatbot, Gemini, and implementing it into its wide array of services has helped it gain a lot of ground recently.
Gemini 3 now has 650 million monthly active users, and AI Mode in Google Search has 2 billion monthly users. Alphabet makes the vast majority of its revenue and earnings from selling advertising, and a large fraction of those ads appear alongside responses to Google searches, which means this massive use of AI Mode is good news for Google.
NASDAQ: GOOGL
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When OpenAI's ChatGPT first went mainstream, there were concerns that it and other AI chatbots would erode Google's dominant search business, but that apparently hasn't yet happened in any meaningful way.
Alphabet's sales rose 16% to $102 billion in the third quarter, and its non-GAAP earnings per share increased 35% to $2.87. The company also recently told AdWeek that it's planning on rolling out ads in Gemini this year, further proving that it is adapting to the AI age. At the same time, reports have surfaced that OpenAI is shifting attention away from advertising, which could further benefit Alphabet's ad business.
Spreading $5,000 across these three stocks will give you ample exposure to AI, allowing you to benefit from both artificial intelligence hardware and software. And most importantly, you'll own shares of profitable AI companies that have already established themselves in a market that has many more years to grow.
