One of the best things about investing is that you don't need a lot of money to get started. While the name of the game is to amass wealth that leads to a comfortable retirement, your initial steps on your investing journey can be quite modest. In fact, with just $2,000, you can assemble a great group of artificial intelligence (AI) stocks to create the core of a solid investment portfolio.
Three names core to my own portfolio are Nebius Group (NBIS 3.15%), Nvidia (NVDA 1.27%), and Palantir Technologies (PLTR +1.40%). Each of these artificial intelligence stocks has a long runway with rising revenue and potentially strong profits. And each plays an important role in the buildout of AI platforms sweeping the globe.
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Nebius Group
Nebius is probably the least-known company on this list, but I think it has the greatest long-term wealth potential. The Dutch company is building data centers that provide full-stack AI cloud platforms, which are essential for developers and hyperscalers training and running AI programs.
Nebius is growing rapidly to meet the demand for AI. The company had an annualized run rate revenue of $1.25 billion in 2025 and expects it to be between $7 billion and $9 billion this year. The company is building its capacity as well, and bolstered its 2026 contracted power guidance from 2.5 gigawatts to 3 gigawatts.
NASDAQ: NBIS
Key Data Points
Nebius's recent acquisition of Tavily, an agentic search provider that works with AI companies and Fortune 500 companies, increases Nebius' ability to provide developers with access to enterprise-grade agentic systems.
Nebius' stock is about $100 per share at this writing, so pick up five shares of stock to account for 25% of your $2,000 portfolio.
Nvidia
The demand for Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) propelled it to become the world's largest publicly traded company, with a current market capitalization of $4.6 trillion. But even at that scale, Nvidia is still growing shockingly fast.
Its fiscal 2026 third-quarter results (for the quarter ending Oct. 25, 2025) showed 62% revenue growth, to $57 billion. And $51.2 billion of that came from data center sales, management said.
NASDAQ: NVDA
Key Data Points
Considering the biggest hyperscalers on the planet -- Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms -- have announced plans to spend $650 billion this year alone on AI investments, Nvidia's revenue should continue its upward climb. I think Nvidia is the surest bet on this list, so allocate 50% of your $2,000 portfolio to the chipmaker and buy five shares of Nvidia stock.
Palantir Technologies
Palantir doesn't make AI infrastructure, but it has what may be the best AI software in the world. Palantir's powerful network pulls data from hundreds of sources to provide real-time analysis and insights to commercial companies, military units, and government agencies.
NASDAQ: PLTR
Key Data Points
Palantir's Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) is the key to the company's success, as it incorporates large language models that enable users to create detailed prompts and receive information through generative AI.
The company's 2025 revenue was $4.475 billion, up 56% year over year, and it projects 2026 revenue of between $7.182 billion and $7.198 billion -- a gain of 60%. As Palantir stock is about $135 per share at this writing, devote the remaining $500 of your portfolio to get three shares (or 3.7, if you are using fractional shares).
