3 Growth Stocks Worth Buying Through the Volatility and Holding for a Lifetime

Industrial companies are in a unique position when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), as they can face short-term volatility but also become long-term winners for investors. For instance, if AI spending slows, it will also stall much of the new revenue growth that certain industrial companies have experienced over the last several years. Moreover, any broad sell-off in AI stocks can also hurt the pick-and-shovel plays connected to it.

Still, the global AI market is expected to climb from about $390 billion in 2025 to over $3.4 trillion by 2033, according to Grand View Research. That means, despite the volatility, there can be plenty of stocks worth investing in and holding onto for the longer term because of how much bigger the opportunity ahead looks.

Although they are connected to AI in different ways, the following three companies are worth buying through any bouts of uncertainty: BAE Systems (OTC: BAESY), GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV), and Vertiv (NYSE: VRT).

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Integrating AI into defense and aerospace operations

BAE Systems is a London-based defense and aerospace conglomerate. Its defense capabilities include electronic warfare; combat vehicles for the air, sea, and ground; and cybersecurity, and it is integrating AI into its operations and products.

Speaking to some of its AI work, on March 26, it announced an agreement with Scale AI to enhance the development of AI capabilities to support the Department of Defense. "BAE Systems' effort to integrate agentic AI directly into operational platforms and mission systems reshapes the future of command and control, creating a true human-machine advantage at the edge where missions are executed," the company said in the announcement. "Deploying capabilities such as BAE Systems' Aided Target Recognition (AiTR), translates sensing into real-time, coordinated effects across distributed forces."

The defense and aerospace conglomerate has continually reported steady sales growth over the last several years, with revenue recorded in sterling pounds:

• 2023 revenue: 25.2 billion pounds
• 2024 revenue: 28.3 billion pounds
• 2025 revenue 30.6 billion pounds

The stock price was essentially flat over the last year, but as of this writing, it's up over 14% in 2026. The company also has a massive backlog of 83.6 billion pounds, so if it can turn more of that into revenue and that revenue into profits, the stock has a lot of runway to keep climbing for long-term shareholders.

The energy components needed to fuel AI

While BAE Systems can integrate AI into its operations and offerings, GE Vernova's business is in developing the infrastructure data centers need to handle AI workloads. It has a partnership with Duke Energy, where Duke will acquire up to 11 of its natural gas turbines to meet the growing needs of data centers, as well as other business and retail customers.

In addition, GE Vernova also has a partnership with the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi. GE Vernova Hitachi is developing small modular reactors (SMRs), which could be a new, innovative power source for data centers. It currently has an SMR project under development in Canada that's expected to be commercially operational by 2030.

GE Vernova is off to a strong start this year, reporting revenue of $9.3 billion and net income of $4.7 billion in its 2026 first-quarter earnings report. The stock price is also having a strong performance in 2026, up nearly 59%, and this is an investment that can keep rewarding long-term investors through the company's role in establishing data center power infrastructure. It is still important to be mindful of its stock price swings, as GE Vernova stock is more volatile than the broader markets.

Cooling down data centers is big business

Like GE Vernova, Vertiv is another play on the components needed to make data centers functional. It offers room and rack cooling, energy storage systems, power distribution, and much more.

Vertiv has a partnership with Caterpillar, in which the two will collaborate on energy-optimization solutions for data centers. It also has a partnership with Nvidia, along with several other collaborators, to design an advanced cooling system.

The stock price is on a tear in 2026, climbing over 100%. Even with how high it's already climbed, it can keep its momentum for the rest of the year, as Vertiv projects strong sales growth is ahead, expecting 2026 full-year net sales will fall in a range of $13.5 billion to $14 billion, compared to the $10.2 billion it reported in 2025. As data centers continue to be built, they will also keep needing Vertiv's services, helping to generate more long-term returns.

One consideration, however, is that this is an extremely volatile stock, so investors will need to be ready to handle any swift price swings.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Caterpillar, GE Vernova, Nvidia, and Vertiv. The Motley Fool recommends BAE Systems, Duke Energy, and Hitachi. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.