Is Nvidia the Top Artificial Intelligence Stock to Own in 2026?

• The artificial quality (AI) buildout shows nary signs of slowing.

• Demand for Nvidia's chips acold outpaces supply.

• 10 stocks we similar amended than Nvidia ›

If you look astatine lists discussing the apical artificial quality (AI) stocks for 2026, you'll apt find a theme: Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is included, oregon it's specifically talked astir not being included. That's due to the fact that Nvidia has been 1 of the best-performing stocks implicit the past fewer years, and is the poster kid of the AI buildout.

However, 2025 wasn't arsenic awesome for Nvidia arsenic it was for different AI stocks, arsenic it has risen astir 35% truthful acold this year. While that outperforms the broader market, the gait is slower than different stocks that person doubled this year.

So, is Nvidia a large banal to ain for 2026? Or are its champion days down it?

Nvidia makes graphics processing units (GPUs) and the exertion that supports their use. Originally, these devices were intended to process gaming graphics, but they yet recovered usage cases successful engineering simulation, cause discovery, and cryptocurrency mining.

Essentially, if determination is simply a workload that requires a ton of computing power, GPUs are the instrumentality to get it done. When humanity's biggest computing workload arrived connected the scene, GPUs were deployed successful monolithic quantities to bid the champion artificial quality exemplary possible.

That contention is inactive ongoing, and Nvidia's GPU income are disconnected the charts. CEO Jensen Huang noted that the institution was "sold out" of unreality GPUs, showcasing its awesome dominance successful this industry. In the 3rd 4th FY 2026 (ended Oct. 26), Nvidia's gross roseate 62% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth to $57 billion.

Of that $57 billion, $51.2 cardinal came from its information halfway division, which includes the GPUs and supporting products utilized successful AI exemplary grooming and inference. That conception was up 66% from past year, showcasing that it's Nvidia's champion conception yet.

While immoderate fearfulness that an AI bubble is forming, Nvidia being sold retired of GPUs doesn't enactment that narrative. The world is that request for computing powerfulness acold outpaces supply. Nvidia's chips are among the hottest commodities successful the satellite close now, and this allows Nvidia to support its premium terms tag connected its devices.

Demand for AI computing hardware is not going to slow, either. Nvidia forecasts that the planetary information halfway superior expenditures volition emergence to $3 trillion to $4 trillion by 2030, up from $600 cardinal successful 2025. That's immense maturation successful 5 years, and would effect successful adjacent greater returns for Nvidia's stock.