These AI companies present significant long-term growth potential and are worth holding onto for the years ahead.
While Nvidia is undeniably a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and a wise investment, there are several other businesses positioned to thrive as AI continues to expand. Though they play distinct roles within the AI landscape, each company is remarkable in its own right and represents a long-term investment opportunity.
1. META: Unmatched Engagement
Meta Platforms (META -2.29%) has an unparalleled grip on social media. The firm manages some of the most popular applications globally and reaches over 3.4 billion active users daily. This extensive reach has translated into impressive financial success, with revenues nearing $165 billion last year and profits exceeding $62 billion.
Not content to simply maintain its current success, Meta is making substantial investments in its future, particularly in AI. The vast user base provides a valuable advantage, granting access to extensive data and a direct customer pipeline to deploy and test AI innovations. Even after expending nearly $40 billion on capital investments, the company ended the year with a free cash flow (FCF) of over $36 billion.
2. AMZN: Cloud Leadership
Amazon (AMZN -0.80%) continues to excel in e-commerce, an industry that remains challenging for competitors to penetrate. Amazon has established significant brand loyalty, and replicating its backend operations is a daunting task for newcomers.
The company’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) stands as the top cloud provider globally, benefitting from a surge in investments by companies eager to create more advanced AI models. AWS revenue saw a 17% increase year-over-year in Q1 of 2025. CEO Andy Jassy recently emphasized the size of this opportunity, stating, “Before this AI generation, we believed AWS could reach a multi-hundred billion dollar revenue run rate; now we believe it could be even larger.”
3. AUR: Leader in Robotic Trucks
While much focus has been placed on consumer-facing autonomous vehicles, autonomous trucking represents a sector with significant potential. The trucking industry is vast, and the high labor costs create a clear financial incentive for companies to adopt autonomous technology.
Aurora Innovations (AUR -5.02%) is a frontrunner in this domain. The company has validated its technology, enjoys robust capital backing, and has established crucial partnerships. Although it is a pre-revenue enterprise and carries more risk compared to others on this list, the nearly $10 billion market cap is justifiable considering the projected revenues; a recent McKinsey analysis estimates that the global market could exceed $600 billion by 2035.
4. UBER: Gateway to Robotic Taxis
Uber Technologies (UBER -3.85%) is strategically positioning itself for success in the robotic taxi sector, even without developing its own autonomous technology (which it sold to Aurora in 2020). Instead of building a fleet or developing its own technology, Uber is focusing on forming partnerships with those who are.
This approach allows Uber to concentrate on connecting its extensive consumer base with robotic taxis. It is less capital-intensive and puts Uber in a favorable position, regardless of which company’s autonomous driving solution becomes the leader. If any of its partners succeed in creating a scalable autonomous system, Uber stands to benefit by connecting that technology with end users.
Johnny Rice has no investments in any of the mentioned stocks. The Motley Fool recommends stocks in Amazon, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Uber Technologies. They have a disclosure policy.
