Three Compelling Shares to Buy in 2026 as AI Computing Demand Accelerates

As 2026 unfolds and fourth-quarter 2025 earnings reports roll in, a clear investment opportunity is emerging for those ready to position their shares to buy before market sentiment catches up to the fundamentals. Several companies are poised to deliver guidance that could trigger significant appreciation in their valuations. The most attractive opportunities span three distinct themes within the AI and technology ecosystem: semiconductor leadership, infrastructure development, and advertising technology recovery.

These three shares to buy—Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS), and The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD)—represent different entry points into the artificial intelligence expansion story, each with catalysts expected to drive material gains throughout 2026.

Nvidia: The Essential Infrastructure Backbone

Nvidia maintains its position as the world’s largest company by market capitalization, a status earned through its dominance in graphics processing units (GPUs), which have become the de facto standard for artificial intelligence computing workloads. The demand signal couldn’t be clearer: Nvidia has publicly announced it is sold out of cloud-based GPU inventory, suggesting that customer demand for its semiconductor solutions will remain robust well into the coming year.

A critical catalyst arrives on February 25, when Nvidia reports its fiscal fourth quarter 2026 earnings. Market participants will be particularly focused on the company’s fiscal 2027 guidance, which could surprise consensus estimates. Additionally, management has excluded all China-related revenue from current forecasts. However, this region could re-emerge as a significant contributor later in 2026 as previously approved export chips reach customers.

The broader context is important: the artificial intelligence data center buildout is still in its early stages, and Nvidia remains the most direct way to gain exposure to this multi-year infrastructure investment theme. Given the supply constraints and forward guidance momentum, this is an opportune time to initiate or add to shares to buy before the market reprices its 2026 outlook.

Nebius Group: The Hidden Growth Play in AI Infrastructure

While Nebius Group remains relatively unknown to mainstream investors, those familiar with the company recognize it as a compelling growth opportunity within the artificial intelligence infrastructure segment. Nebius operates by acquiring advanced GPUs from Nvidia and integrating them into fully operational computing clusters deployed within data centers that the company either owns or leases.

The demand picture is extraordinary. In the third quarter alone, Nebius delivered 355% year-over-year revenue growth. Currently operating at a $551 million annualized revenue run rate (ARR), the company is projecting a dramatic expansion to $7 billion to $9 billion in ARR by year-end 2026. Such an expansion would represent a monumental shift in scale, and should management execute on this trajectory, investors could witness rapid share appreciation throughout the year.

Management’s recent guidance revision suggests confidence in the underlying demand environment. Even if the company remains conservative in its fiscal fourth quarter outlook, the growth runway appears sufficient to deliver compelling returns. This represents one of the more asymmetric shares to buy, trading on momentum but backed by accelerating unit economics and customer demand.

The Trade Desk: The Contrarian Turnaround Opportunity

Unlike Nvidia and Nebius, The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) faced significant headwinds during 2025. The company ranked among the S&P 500’s worst performers last year, primarily due to execution challenges during the rollout of its AI-powered advertising platform. Additionally, the absence of political advertising revenue in 2025—which had contributed meaningfully in 2024—created difficult year-over-year comparisons that pressured reported growth metrics.

However, 2026 presents a reset opportunity. The company’s platform implementation challenges should resolve as the year progresses, and the elimination of unfavorable 2024 comparisons will allow the underlying business momentum to become apparent. The Trade Desk has historically maintained consistent double-digit growth throughout its tenure as a public company, demonstrating the durability of its franchise model.

From a valuation perspective, shares currently trade at approximately 18 times forward earnings, compared to the S&P 500’s broader multiple of 22.4 times forward earnings. This represents a meaningful discount for a business that should resume expansion, making it an attractive shares to buy for value-conscious investors positioning for a turnaround narrative.

Investment Positioning for 2026

Each of these three opportunities serves a distinct purpose within a growth-oriented portfolio. Nvidia provides direct exposure to AI infrastructure demand and semiconductor leadership. Nebius offers concentrated leverage to the emerging GPU-as-a-service infrastructure trend. The Trade Desk presents a recovery-oriented entry point at a valuation discount. Together, they represent three compelling shares to buy before the market recognizes the full earning potential these companies should deliver in 2026.