Is Rambus One of the Best AI Stocks to Buy Right Now?

One of the best strategies for generating high returns over the past two years has been finding obscure AI stocks that are critical parts of relieving bottlenecks. For example, most investors didn't care about Micron or Nebius until mid-2025, and those two stocks have gone on to crush the S&P 500.

Investors who are looking for the next superstar may want to take a closer look at Rambus (NASDAQ: RMBS). It's only up by 25% year to date as I write this, and has a $13 billion market cap. That stock has more than quintupled over the past five years, so there is a history of strong momentum. A closer look reveals how the opportunity stacks up for long-term investors.

Image source: Getty Images.

Memory chip demand surges

Rambus specializes in high-performance memory chipsets that are found in AI data centers. Memory chipsets essentially manage memory chips to ensure they perform optimally. Rambus has a few competitors, but broad tailwinds benefit the company greatly.

If memory chips continue to fly off the shelves, memory chipsets will eventually follow. Micron has demonstrated that the first part of that equation is still strong. The company more than quadrupled its revenue year over year in its fiscal 2026 third quarter while delivering more than 70% sequential growth. Micron's current-quarter guidance implies more than 20% sequential growth.

Those results should translate into higher revenue growth rates for Rambus. Memory chips need memory chipsets like the ones Rambus provides, and this idea is starting to take shape in the company's finances. Overall revenue increased by 8% year over year in the most recent quarterly report, while product revenue was up by 15% year over year. The product segment includes Rambus' memory chipsets and is the fastest-growing part of the business.

AI inference and agentic workloads are in early innings

Rambus CEO Luc Seraphin cited "the growth of AI inference and agentic workloads" when touting Rambus' long-term opportunities and ability to support next-generation AI platforms. Those products will require substantial amounts of memory chips and chipsets, and they are projected to grow meaningfully.

Grand View Research projects a 17.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the AI inference market and 46.2% CAGR for the agentic AI market through 2030.

Investors can already see the impact of these growing markets in Rambus' projections. Its product segment generated $88 million in Q1, and the company is forecasting $98 million at the midpoint for Q2. That target implies 11% sequential growth.

Rambus has demonstrated that it can meet memory performance requirements and gain market share in AI infrastructure. As its product revenue continues to grow sequentially, more investors will recognize the opportunity. The stock is well-positioned for a prolonged rally. I think it is one of the best AI stocks to buy right now.

Marc Guberti has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.