The Best AI Stocks to Hold Through 2035: Five Market Leaders Poised for Growth

The artificial intelligence revolution is reshaping entire industries, and investors looking for exposure to this transformative trend have never had more opportunity. According to recent market research, the global AI market is expected to expand dramatically from approximately $270 billion today to beyond $5.2 trillion within the next decade. While many future AI winners may still be private or even undiscovered, several publicly traded technology companies already position investors to capture this multi-trillion-dollar growth story. Here are five of the best stocks for AI investors seeking long-term exposure through 2035.

Nvidia: The GPU Powerhouse Behind AI Infrastructure

When discussing best AI stocks to consider, Nvidia invariably tops the list. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) holds an commanding position as the primary supplier of accelerator chips used to train artificial intelligence models in data centers worldwide. Think of Nvidia as providing the computational horsepower that powers the entire AI infrastructure—its GPUs are essentially the backbone of modern AI systems.

Market research suggests Nvidia’s GPU share within enterprise data centers reaches approximately 92%, though emerging competitors may soon test this dominance. The company’s proprietary CUDA programming framework has created a significant competitive barrier, effectively locking in major cloud providers. Nearly all hyperscale data center operators have already committed substantial capital to building out Nvidia-based infrastructure. Switching away from Nvidia remains costly and disruptive during this high-stakes AI arms race, giving the company formidable staying power.

A remarkable $500 billion order backlog underscores Nvidia’s continued market momentum and the explosive demand for its processors. For investors seeking the best stock for AI infrastructure plays, Nvidia remains the foundational choice.

Alphabet: The Multifaceted AI Giant

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL / GOOG), Google’s parent company, deserves consideration among the best AI stocks for its remarkably diversified exposure to artificial intelligence opportunities. The company’s massive user base—spanning billions of people through Google Search, YouTube, Android, and numerous consumer services—provides an enormous testing ground and deployment platform for AI applications.

Beyond its consumer footprint, Alphabet operates Google Cloud, a leading enterprise cloud provider, and manages the autonomous ride-hailing service Waymo. The company has also quietly assembled significant stakes in emerging AI ventures, including approximately 7% ownership of SpaceX, thereby providing investors indirect exposure to Starlink’s satellite internet ambitions.

Perhaps most notably, Alphabet has emerged as a credible competitor to Nvidia in AI chip manufacturing. The company designed its own Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) and used it to train Gemini, its flagship large language model. Management has indicated openness to selling TPUs to other AI companies, potentially creating a new revenue stream. This combination of consumer reach, cloud infrastructure, hardware innovation, and emerging company stakes makes Alphabet one of the most comprehensive best stocks for AI exposure available today.

Microsoft: Stability Meets AI Upside

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) represents a different category among best AI stocks—one offering both stability and significant growth potential. The software giant maintains substantial competitive advantages through Azure, the world’s second-largest cloud services platform, which is positioned to capture increasing AI workloads as demand accelerates.

Most importantly, Microsoft has secured approximately 27% ownership of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, the most widely adopted artificial intelligence application to date. For investors unable to directly purchase OpenAI shares while the company remains private, Microsoft stock offers a capital-efficient way to gain exposure to this transformative AI company.

Azure’s cloud infrastructure is primed to benefit substantially from surging AI demand. Additionally, Microsoft’s mature business segments—including Windows operating system and Microsoft 365—generate reliable revenue and free cash flow. The company has increased its dividend for 23 consecutive years, providing shareholders with tangible returns while they wait for AI opportunities to mature. For investors prioritizing lower volatility alongside artificial intelligence exposure, Microsoft stands out as one of the best stocks for a balanced approach to AI investing.

Amazon: Cloud Scale Meets AI Innovation

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) offers investors another pathway to best stocks for AI through its dominant cloud services platform. Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the world’s leading cloud provider, positioned to capture enormous AI workloads as enterprises migrate computing tasks to the cloud.

Perhaps more intriguingly, Amazon has invested $8 billion in Anthropic, an emerging AI company founded by former OpenAI researchers and widely regarded as a significant competitor to OpenAI itself. This stake provides Amazon shareholders with meaningful exposure to one of the most promising next-generation AI platforms, while the company remains privately held.

Beyond these AI angles, Amazon’s core businesses—e-commerce, digital advertising, and cloud services—retain substantial runway for profitable growth over the coming decade. Amazon arguably doesn’t require artificial intelligence breakthroughs to deliver strong returns to shareholders. For investors seeking best AI stocks with proven, diversified revenue foundations, Amazon provides exactly that, with AI serving as an attractive bonus rather than the entire thesis.

Palantir Technologies: The Custom AI Software Play

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) represents a distinct opportunity among best stocks for AI, focusing specifically on AI software rather than infrastructure or general cloud platforms. Palantir specializes in developing custom software applications built on proprietary technology platforms, and the company’s growth trajectory has accelerated notably since launching AIP, its artificial intelligence platform, in mid-2023.

The company has been winning increasing numbers of both government and corporate clients seeking custom AI solutions. With fewer than 1,000 customers currently on its platform, Palantir possesses tremendous room to expand its customer base over the next decade—a significant advantage for long-term investors.

The primary concern surrounding Palantir relates to its elevated valuation, which may constrain near-term stock performance. However, patient investors can view stock price declines as buying opportunities rather than warning signs. Given the company’s early market position in custom AI software and its still-developing customer acquisition potential, Palantir could deliver remarkable growth through 2035 for those willing to endure volatility.

Building Your AI Portfolio

Selecting the best stocks for AI exposure means balancing proven market leaders with differentiated upside opportunities. These five companies collectively provide investors with exposure to artificial intelligence across hardware (Nvidia), cloud infrastructure (Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet), software (Palantir), and stakes in emerging private AI companies.

Rather than waiting for the “next big thing” to emerge, investors can construct a diversified approach to AI investing through this combination of best AI stocks. Each company brings distinct advantages: Nvidia supplies the computational foundation, cloud leaders (Microsoft and Amazon) provide the delivery mechanisms, Alphabet offers diversification and hedging, and Palantir pioneers custom software applications.

The artificial intelligence market’s projected growth to over $5 trillion within ten years suggests substantial returns remain available for investors who establish positions in quality companies today. These five represent among the best stocks to own and hold as the AI revolution continues to unfold through 2035 and beyond.