Forget NVIDIA: This is the AI Stock to Buy in 2026

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NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) remains the undisputed leader in AI hardware, but its 45x trailing P/E ratio and flat year-to-date performance suggest much of its growth story is already priced in. For investors seeking exposure to the AI revolution with better risk/reward profiles, three stocks offer compelling alternatives. These include a chip rival delivering competitive hardware at more reasonable valuations, an AI platform capturing explosive enterprise demand, and a data cloud infrastructure play powering the next generation of AI applications.

5. Snowflake: The Data Foundation for AI

Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) provides the data cloud infrastructure that AI applications depend on, but its path to profitability remains uncertain. The company reported Q3 2026 revenue of $1.21 billion, beating estimates of $1.18 billion with 29% year-over-year growth. Product revenue reached $1.16 billion, while the company maintained a strong 125% net revenue retention rate.

CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy highlighted that Snowflake Intelligence, the company’s AI capabilities platform, achieved the fastest adoption rate of any product launch in company history. The company now serves 688 customers generating over $1 million in annual revenue, with remaining performance obligations of $7.88 billion, up 37% year-over-year.

The challenge: Snowflake posted an operating loss of $329.5 million in the quarter, and the stock has declined 20.1% year-to-date to $175.27. With a negative 31% profit margin and price-to-sales ratio of 14x, investors are paying a premium for a company still burning cash despite strong revenue growth.

4. Palantir Technologies: Government and Enterprise AI Platform

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) delivered extraordinary growth in Q4 2025, but its valuation has become stretched. Revenue reached $1.41 billion, surpassing estimates of $1.36 billion, while earnings per share of $0.25 beat expectations of $0.23.

The company’s AI platform (AIP) drove remarkable commercial success. U.S. commercial revenue surged 137% year-over-year to $507 million, while U.S. government revenue grew 66% to $570 million. Total contract value reached a record $4.26 billion, up 138% year-over-year. CEO Alex Karp emphasized the company’s Rule of 40 score of 127%, demonstrating exceptional efficiency in balancing growth and profitability.

For fiscal 2026, Palantir guided to revenue of $7.18 to $7.20 billion, representing 61% year-over-year growth. Net income increased 670% year-over-year, while operating income jumped 5,110%.

The concern: Palantir trades at a trailing P/E ratio of 209x and a price-to-sales ratio of 70x. The stock has fallen 25.9% year-to-date to $131.78, suggesting the market is questioning whether the premium valuation can be sustained despite impressive growth metrics.

3. Advanced Micro Devices: The Chip Challenger

Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) delivered strong results in Q4 2025 that position it as a legitimate competitor in AI chips. Revenue of $10.3 billion beat estimates of $9.76 billion, while earnings per share of $1.53 exceeded expectations of $1.33.

Data center revenue, the critical AI segment, grew 39% year-over-year to $5.4 billion, driven by strong demand for the Instinct MI440X AI accelerator. CEO Lisa Su expressed confidence in continued AI and data center momentum heading into 2026. For Q1 2026, AMD guided to $9.8 billion in revenue.

AMD’s valuation offers a more attractive entry point than NVIDIA. While its trailing P/E of 79x appears elevated, the forward P/E of 31x and PEG ratio of 0.7 suggest growth is reasonably priced. The company achieved 217% year-over-year earnings growth and 34% revenue growth.

AMD has declined 5% year-to-date to $203.40, compared to NVIDIA’s essentially flat performance. With 77% of analysts rating AMD as Buy or Strong Buy and a target price of $287.20, the market sees significant upside potential.

The Verdict: Different Angles on AI

Each stock offers a distinct approach to capturing AI growth. AMD provides direct competition to NVIDIA in AI chips at a more reasonable valuation multiple. Palantir delivers enterprise AI software with extraordinary growth rates, though investors must accept its premium pricing. Snowflake powers the data infrastructure underlying AI applications but remains unprofitable despite strong revenue expansion. While NVIDIA’s 53% profit margin and market leadership remain unmatched, these three alternatives offer exposure to different layers of the AI ecosystem with varying risk/reward profiles for investors willing to look beyond the obvious choice.