Dan Ives is doubling down on artificial intelligence heading into 2026, arguing that investor excitement (and anxiety) around the scale of the AI buildout points to a pivotal year for the technology and the stocks most exposed to it.
The Wedbush analyst said 2026 is shaping up as an “inflection point year” for the AI revolution, with the US maintaining a rare leadership edge over China in technology even as the trillions of dollars required to fully deploy AI across enterprises and consumers continue to unnerve markets.
“We believe both sides can be right at the same time,” Ives wrote, describing AI as a fourth industrial revolution that is still early in its monetization cycle.
While Nvidia remains one of Wedbush’s top technology names, Ives highlighted five other stocks he believes will be “front and center” for investors looking to play AI into 2026: Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, XETRA:APC), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) and CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:CRWD).
Microsoft: Azure inflection ahead
Ives said the market is underestimating the scale of AI-driven growth about to unfold at Microsoft, particularly within its Azure cloud business.
“The Street is underestimating the Azure growth story in our view and AI driven shift about to happen in Redmond heading into 2026,” he wrote, adding that while AI use cases accelerated in fiscal 2025, fiscal 2026 “remains the true inflection year of AI growth as CIO lines build for deployments.”
He called Microsoft one of his favorite large-cap tech names to own over the coming year.
Apple: AI monetization still to come
Apple’s AI strategy has been a lingering question for investors, but Ives believes its massive installed base gives it unmatched leverage once execution accelerates.
“With the biggest consumer installed base in the world of 2.4 billion iOS devices and 1.5 billion iPhones, the time is now for Apple to accelerate its AI efforts,” he wrote.
Ives estimates AI monetization could add $75 to $100 per share to Apple over the next several years as its strategy comes into focus, after what he described as a “head scratching AI strategy this year in Apple Park.”
Ives also expects CEO Tim Cook to remain in place through at least the end of 2027 to guide Apple through this transition.
Tesla: AI valuation unlock
For Tesla, Ives sees 2026 as a turning point as autonomous driving and robotics take center stage.
“Heading into 2026 this marks a monster year ahead for Tesla and Musk as the autonomous and robotics chapter begins,” he wrote, arguing that the company’s AI valuation is starting to be unlocked through full self-driving adoption and the rollout of its Cybercab ambitions in the US.
Ives said the shift toward an AI-driven valuation has begun and suggested Tesla could reach a $2 trillion market capitalization over the coming year, with a bull case of $3 trillion by the end of 2026.
Palantir: Enterprise AI demand surging
Palantir continues to see what Ives described as “unprecedented demand” for its Artificial Intelligence Platform across commercial and government customers.
By delivering AI solutions at enterprise scale that solve real-world problems, Palantir is driving new customer wins and deal expansions, he said. Ives added that the company has a “golden path” to eventually becoming a trillion-dollar market cap player as it grows into its valuation.
CrowdStrike: AI tailwind in cybersecurity
Rounding out the list, Ives highlighted CrowdStrike as a key beneficiary of AI adoption, even if indirectly.
“Deal momentum [is] spreading with AI also a clear tailwind for CRWD,” he wrote, pointing to growing mindshare and an expanding product suite across large enterprises.
Ives said the market is underestimating CrowdStrike’s growth potential, calling cybersecurity a second- or third-order beneficiary of the AI revolution, a dynamic that underpins his bullish stance on the stock.
Taken together, Ives said these five names offer investors differentiated exposure to what he sees as the next major phase of the AI buildout as the technology moves from hype to large-scale deployment in 2026.