Regardless of what you believe about the long-term implications for artificial intelligence (AI), the amount of money pouring into the industry is hard to ignore. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said previously that by the end of this decade, there will be $3 trillion to $4 trillion in annual spending on AI-related infrastructure.
All signs point to AI becoming a bigger part of the global economic backdrop in the future. Here’s one smart stock to buy right now that’s in a wonderful position to continue winning.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
There are so many reasons to like this dominant internet enterprise
The company that investors might view as a no-brainer opportunity today is “Magnificent Seven” constituent Alphabet (GOOGL +1.71%) (GOOG +2.00%). In the past five years, its share price has rocketed almost 200% higher (as of April 17). There are plenty of reasons to appreciate this great business.
Alphabet’s dominant position in the digital advertising market is enviable, particularly as it relates to the flagship Google Search platform, as well as the leading video entertainment service YouTube. They both possess network effects. And combined, these two segments raked in $74.5 billion in ad sales in Q4 2025, with both growing at healthy rates on a yearly basis.
When it comes to AI, Alphabet has basically been all-in for a decade now. Its AI capabilities continue to improve the functionality of all its internet platforms. And advertising customers benefit from new features, like AI Max, that can boost audience targeting and monetization.
But Google Cloud is where AI is showing up the most. This burgeoning cloud computing platform, which is dramatically improving its profitability, has a monster backlog of $240 billion.
“Nearly 75% of Google Cloud customers have used our vertically optimized AI, from chips, to models, to AI platforms, and enterprise AI agents,” CEO Sundar Pichai said on the Q4 2025 earnings call.
With free cash flow exceeding $73 billion in 2025, Alphabet is in a unique position to direct capital to high-risk/high-reward projects. Waymo is one of these Other Bets. With more than 500,000 weekly rides, the autonomous driving enterprise is leading the pack in this new technological wave.
Today’s Change
(1.71%) $5.74
Current Price
$341.76
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$4.1T
Day’s Range
$336.24 – $342.31
52wk Range
$146.10 – $349.00
Volume
1M
Avg Vol
33M
Gross Margin
59.68%
Dividend Yield
0.25%
Alphabet’s valuation isn’t too demanding today
In the past 12 months, this internet stock has soared 120%, supporting Alphabet’s gargantuan market cap of $4.1 trillion today. Even at this scale, the business presents investors with a smart buying opportunity.
Examine the valuation. Shares trade at 31.3 times 2025 earnings. This is a premium to the trailing-five-year average of 24.6. I agree that this doesn’t resemble a bargain.
But the company’s net income rose 725% between 2015 and 2025. And no one doubts that Alphabet is one of the world’s truly elite businesses. As AI starts to infiltrate the global economy, there aren’t many companies better positioned.
