4 Fast-Rising AI Stocks You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Artificial intelligence stocks are on a heater in 2025. 

Take Nvidia NVDA, which is up 17.5% year-to-date and up 45.5% over the past three months. Then there's AI intelligence powerhouse CoreWeave CRWV, which is up a whopping 331% over the last 90 days alone. Or consider AI software developer Palantir PLTR, whose stock price is up 72.9% year-to-date and has increased by 405% over the past year.

Those are robust companies that have built a brand name for themselves in the AI realm and are obvious picks for investors looking to capitalize on the AI freight train of 2025. That said, they’re not the only names investors should be tracking in the AI market, especially after their rapid rise, which may make some investors concerned that most of the upside is behind them.

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“This is the first inning of a nine-inning game for AI revolution, and the next generation of winners hasn't even been invented yet,” said Alan Haworth, senior financial advisor at Clare Market Investments. “The first round will be NVDA, MSFT, AMZN, GOOG, and a few other megacaps.”

For discerning investors, it's also a good idea to dig below the surface and uncover gems that aren't pure pay-play artificial intelligence stocks, but have ties to the AI sector.

 “2025 marks the start of stage two, where the operating and expansion layers are emerging as the real drivers of value,” said Shay Boloor, chief market strategist at Futurum Equities. “The explosive returns of phase one laid the tracks. But phase two is where we find compounding utility, and that's where the next decade of upside lives.”

Which companies indirectly tied to AI make the grade right now for technology investors at the mid-point of 2025? These stocks are getting a green light from market experts.

Astera Labs Inc. ALAB. This Santa Clara, California-based semiconductor company specializes in solving AI and cloud computing data and network bottleneck issues. ALAB stock is down 31% year-to-date, but it's making up ground quickly. Over the past 90 days, the firm's stock price has increased by 52.5%, mainly due to its partnership with AIChip Technologies, a high-profile Taiwan-based chipmaker. “AI data centers are scaling laterally,” Boloor said. ” Astera Labs owns the high-speed interconnects (PCIe, CXL, Ethernet) that make cluster performance viable.”

Astera Labs Inc. has a consensus price target of $ 97.50 based on the ratings of 15 analysts, as noted by Benzinga Ratings.

Oklo, Inc. OKLO. Oklo is carving a clear path to profit in the nuclear industry, providing clean energy through the design and deployment of fast-fission power plants. The company's stock is up 160.2% year-to-date as demand grows, driven by states like New York exploring new nuclear power initiatives and AI companies requiring more power for their data centers. “AI demands energy 24/7,” Bollor noted. “Small modular nuclear is no longer a fringe idea – it's foundational.”

Oklo has a consensus price target of $58.14, according to Benzinga Ratings.

Vistra Corp VST. This Texas-based power generator is essentially an AI infrastructure play as its nuclear plants provide the 24/7, reliable power sources that AI data centers require.

 “VST is currently trading at 12x forward earnings and, while they haven’t signed a data center deal yet, they’re well-positioned to do so in the immediate future especially following their $1.9B acquisition of seven natural gas-fired power plants that are set to add 2,600 megawatts of capacity across five states,” said Liam Hunt, director of research at IncomeInsider.org.

Vistra has a 95.5 Momentum Rating, according to Benzinga Ratings.

Adobe ADBE. At first glance, this digital marketing and media services company may not seem like an obvious choice as an AI-linked company. Yet a closer look reveals that Adobe is doing a solid job of immersing agentic AI into the creative marketplace. Adobe’s Brand Concierge program and its AI-fueled workflow products and services are helping Adobe gain a solid foothold in the AI market, primarily through close partnerships with major industry players.

“Goldman Sachs puts ADBE among what it calls the top ‘Phase 3’ AI monetizers,” said Dan Buckley, chief analyst at DayTrading.com. “These are firms generating revenue through AI, not just as speculative future promises, that are currently undervalued.”

Adobe has a consensus price target of $511.77, according to Benzinga Ratings.

Takeaway On AI Insider Stock Plays

The message for Main Street investors is clear and direct: stop chasing the obvious AI names and focus on the ‘picks and shovels’ plays.

“Identify companies that benefit from AI adoption and scaling without trading at AI valuations,” Hunt said. “Utilities with data center exposure offer growth potential that tracks the AI boom at a more reasonable price point. Additionally, energy infrastructure plays have a strong chance of outperforming the mega-cap tech stocks everyone’s watching.”

“In short, diversify across the AI value chain rather than betting everything on chip stocks,” he added.

Editorial content from our expert contributors is intended to be information for the general public and not individualized investment advice. Editors/contributors are presenting their individual opinions and strategies, which are neither expressly nor impliedly approved or endorsed by Benzinga.

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