5 Top Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks for the Second Half of 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI) investing has been a winning investment theme during the past four years. Since the AI build-out kicked off in 2023, several of these stocks have been major winners. However, 2026's winners have been a bit more selective, with some companies doing incredibly well, while others are not doing as well.

Overall, I think the AI investment picture is still strong, and this theme will dominate the market for the rest of 2026, into 2027, and beyond until at least 2030. That means some of these stocks will be able to go much higher. If you're looking for which AI stocks are the best buys for the rest of 2026, I think this list is a great place to start, as they could go higher still.

Image source: Getty Images.

Micron

Micron (NASDAQ: MU) may seem like an odd one to include on this list, in part because its stock has more than tripled this year. However, demand for Micron's core products, NAND and DRAM memory chips, is off the charts, and it doesn't expect market conditions to change through the calendar year 2027. That means Micron can continue to deliver unprecedented growth and thrive from the lack of memory chip supply.

Micron's stock only trades for 13.6 times this year's earnings and 6.6 times next year's earnings, so buying today could lock in major returns by the end of 2027 if tightness in the memory chip market persists.

Nebius

Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS) has also had a strong year on the back of downright incredible growth. Nebius is a neocloud provider, which means it focuses on AI-first cloud computing. Demand for its product has been insatiable, and it delivered 684% revenue growth in Q1. Wall Street analysts expect another strong quarter in Q2, with 459% growth anticipated.

For 2026 and 2027, Wall Street projects 544% and 234% revenue growth. With this tiny company rapidly expanding into an AI computing giant, now is the perfect time to jump on the shares, because if the AI build-out lasts through the end of this decade, Nebius has a lot higher to go.

Nvidia

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been the top AI stock pick since 2023, and nothing has changed since then. The industry still relies on its graphic processing units (GPUs), and Nvidia's revenue was forecast to double year over year in Q2. However, the stock has gone on sale, and it's down about 17% from its all-time highs.

Buying opportunities don't come around all that often for Nvidia stock, and now is the perfect time to load up on the shares, especially with its price tag at about 22 times forward earnings -- a good deal less than the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC).

Microsoft

Next is Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), which has had a terrible run during the past year. It has fallen about 30% from its all-time highs, leading many investors to believe that its AI strategy isn't panning out. However, with a 27% stake in OpenAI (projected to go public later this year at a valuation of more than $1 trillion), its AI business producing an annual recurring revenue of $37 billion growing at a 123% pace, and a 40% cloud computing growth rate, I think it's safe to say that Microsoft is doing just fine.

However, its stock is dirt cheap at 20 times forward earnings.

MSFT PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

With it being far cheaper than the S&P 500 and growing at a solid pace, I think it's the perfect stock to buy now.

Meta Platforms

The market hasn't been kind to Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) either, as investor focus on the huge amount of money Meta is spending on AI without accounting for the tremendous growth its ad business has delivered. In Q1, Meta's revenue rose 33%, yet the stock has been pretty steady off its all-time highs. Meta is down about 25% from its all-time high, and also trades for a cheap price tag like Microsoft.

META PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

At just 18 times forward earnings, Meta looks like an incredible bargain, and could be a strong candidate to be a top-performing AI stock in the second half of 2026 as the market comes around to its AI plan.

Keithen Drury has positions in Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nebius Group, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms, Micron Technology, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.