2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks That Offer More Than Just Hype

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4 days ago

Key Points
Amazon might be a less obvious AI play, but this storied business is making impressive headway in a dynamic industry.
Marvell Technology is reaping the rewards of its market-leading data center solutions.
10 stocks we like better than Amazon ›
If your nest egg is shored up and you have cash to spare that you don't require for bills or other near-term financial needs, you might consider investing that in the stock market. Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks aren't for everyone, but businesses with a habit of delivering growth to investors through both economic turbulence and calm can drive your portfolio forward in the long run.
It's important to carefully study any stock, AI play or otherwise, before you add it to your portfolio, and ensure its business model aligns with your financial goals as well as risk tolerance. On that note, here are two top AI stocks to consider right now that offer more than just hype.
1. Amazon
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is an AI stock that still makes most of its revenue from its online stores and third-party seller services, but the vast majority of its operating profits comes from its cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company's extensive use of AI across its various businesses and its significant investments in AI infrastructure and development (management is forecasting $100 billion in capital expenditures in 2025 alone) make it an intriguing choice to consider in this rapidly evolving industry.
Amazon uses AI for everything from personalizing shopping experiences on its flagship marketplace to optimizing product listings and seller performance. Amazon is also using AI to do things like allocate inventory, predict demand, and streamline delivery operations for its e-commerce business. It is even leveraging AI-powered robots in some of its fulfillment centers to automate tasks like picking, packing, and sorting products.
Of course, AWS is the side of the business most investors think of when discussing Amazon's advancements in the world of AI. AWS provides the computing power, storage, and tools that enable businesses to build and deploy AI applications.
The company developed its own custom chips, Trainium and Inferentia, which can offer cost-optimal alternatives to traditional GPUs. AWS also now features a wide range of AI and machine learning services for customers, including machine learning models, natural language processing, and computer vision.
Amazon's net sales increased by 9% to $155.7 billion in the first quarter of 2025. Net income increased by more than 64% to $17.1 billion. The AWS division alone clocked a 17% year-over-year increase in sales to $29.3 billion in Q1. Even as factors like tariffs could weigh on the e-commerce side of the business, Amazon's continued AI expansions and its more asset-light operations like AWS can continue to be the tide that lifts all boats.
2. Marvell Technology
Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL) is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and sells data infrastructure solutions. The company's focus is on enabling technologies like AI, cloud computing, 5G, and high-performance networking. Marvell's products include chips for data centers, enterprise networking, and automotive applications.
Marvell's Ethernet and custom silicon solutions are used by major data centers, making them a key supplier to hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft's Azure, and Alphabet's Google Cloud. The company is experiencing strong growth in this area due to the increasing demand for AI-driven computing and cloud networking. Marvell also specializes in creating custom chips tailored for specific AI workloads.
A significant portion of Marvell's revenue comes from data center solutions, including the AI-focused custom chips and infrastructure components. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, Marvell achieved record revenue just shy of $2 billion, a 63% year-over-year increase. Its data center segment is the single largest driver of Marvell's total revenue, and delivered revenue of $1.5 billion in the first quarter, up 76% from one year ago.
Marvell also reported net income of $178 million in the quarter, compared to a loss of $216 million one year ago. Cash flow from operations for the three-month period totaled $332.9 million. Marvell has numerous collaborations with cloud giants, including a multiyear agreement with AWS.
The company also just announced a new long-term partnership with Rebellions Inc., a South Korean AI semiconductor company, to develop custom AI infrastructure solutions for sovereign-backed initiatives and regional cloud providers across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Investors with a long-term buy-and-hold horizon who want to put cash into the AI infrastructure sector may want to take a second look at this top stock.
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Rachel Warren has positions in Alphabet and Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Marvell Technology and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks That Offer More Than Just Hype was originally published by The Motley Fool