Artificial intelligence was once again the undisputed stock market leader in 2025. In 2026, there may be some new big winners in the space, according to Dan Ives. The tech bull and Wedbush analyst named Microsoft , Apple , Tesla , Palantir Technologies and CrowdStrike as his top picks heading into the new year. One conspicuously absent stock is Nvidia — the chipmaker that has led the AI rally over the past three years. “It’s about the derivative of the AI revolution. That’s our whole thesis going into 2026. For every dollar spent on [an] Nvidia chip, there’s an $8-$10 multiplier across the rest of tech,” Ives told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in an interview Tuesday. “That’s why I think those are the names … that I think are going to boom.” (To be sure, Ives wrote to clients he is still bullish on Nvidia despite it being excluded from his list.) Here’s what Ives said about this top five AI picks: Microsoft: The analyst pointed to upside in Azure, writing in a note that Wall Street is underestimating the businesses’ growth potential. The stock is up 15.6% year to date. Apple: Ives noted the company may accelerate its AI efforts. If that happens, “the AI monetization piece could add $75 to $100 per share to the Apple story over the coming few years,” he said. Apple shares have risen 9.3% in 2025. Tesla: Ives said 2026 “marks a monster year ahead for Tesla and Musk as the autonomous and robotics chapter begins. The AI valuation will start to get unlocked.” Shares have popped 13.8% this year. Palantir: “With the company making strategic moves to remain at the forefront of AI, we believe that PLTR has a golden path to become a trillion-dollar market cap company,” said Ives in a note. Palantir is the best-performing stock of the bunch, up 143.5% this year. CrowdStrike: “We believe increased market and mind share is happening for CrowdStrike among new and existing customers as the company’s product suite continues to expand across the enterprise landscape over the next 12 to 18 months,” Ives wrote. CrowdStrike shares have gained 39.1% in 2025.
