The First 5 AI Stocks I'd Buy If I Started From Scratch

Over several years, I've built a solid portfolio that is doing well, in part because it holds several artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. But what would I do if I were starting from scratch today?

Well, I probably wouldn't choose some of the same AI stocks I currently own. But I'd definitely choose the five holdings featured below. Some of these AI stocks feature maximum upside potential, and others are no-brainer winners. Additionally, I think that all five of these stocks are solid buys right now.

So if you're just getting started in AI investing, these five are excellent stocks to begin with.

Image source: Getty Images.

Best buys: Nvidia and Broadcom

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) would probably be my first buys. There are many questions in the AI build-out about how much money AI will actually make for companies that deploy it, and if there will be a large enough return on investment to warrant spending billions on data centers. These are fair questions, but these concerns don't really apply to Nvidia and Broadcom.

While both companies want AI technology to do well over the long term so they can continue to profit from increased unit sales, the reality is they are making money right now during the buildout. By designing and selling the semiconductor chips and systems that the hyperscalers are deploying to train and run AI models, Nvidia and Broadcom are benefiting from the pick-and-shovel play on the AI gold rush and will continue to do so for many years.

2030 is often cited as the final year for all of the massive AI spending, but that is only because most of these companies don't share their spending plans beyond 3-5 years. So these two stocks have years to benefit. However, because the computing units used in AI tend to burn out quickly under extreme workloads, these two should have a continuous stream of replacement units to fuel their long-term growth.

I'm a huge fan of both companies and think these two are among the best buys in the market right now.

Cloud computing giants: Microsoft and Alphabet

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) are AI hyperscalers that are well-positioned to make a fortune from AI through their cloud computing platforms, Azure and Google Cloud.

Most generative AI start-ups don't have the capital to build the multiple data centers needed to run their own AI platform, so they rent them out from the cloud computing providers. Their business models are usage-based, so as people and organizations use more AI, these two will generate increasing cash flows.

Alphabet also has its own generative AI model, Gemini, that could benefit from subscription services if it becomes one of the top models to use. The jury is still out on that, but that gives it more upside than Microsoft if it can deliver on that front.

Regardless, I think both stocks are well-positioned to take advantage of the AI build-out, and each of them looks like a great stock to buy right now.

Maximum upside: Nebius

The last stock is the highest risk, but highest reward investment on this list: Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS). Nebius is a neocloud company, meaning it focuses on GPU-based AI computing rather than broad cloud computing like Azure and Google Cloud. Nebius has also partnered with Nvidia to deliver the best technology first, making it a popular option for running AI workloads.

Nebius is seeing incredible growth and expects to increase its annual run rate from $1.25 billion at the end of 2025 to $7 billion to $9 billion by the end of this year. That's just incredible, and next year could bring similar success due to high AI demand.

Nebius has a ton of upside if its business model pans out; it just needs to start producing some profits, and it will become the best performer on this list, by far.

Keithen Drury has positions in Alphabet, Broadcom, Microsoft, Nebius Group, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Broadcom, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.