5 Stocks Positioned to Win the AI Data Center Buildout

The AI rally that stalled earlier this year came roaring back, with some tech stocks posting gains close to 50% in a single week. For investors trying to make sense of the whipsaw, Louis Navellier of InvestorPlace has a simple explanation: the fundamentals never broke. The earnings revisions did. And now they're moving again at the fastest pace in five years.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM)'s latest results—41% sales growth and 58% earnings growth—set off a chain reaction across the sector. Order backlogs across AI-linked companies remain enormous, and Navellier points out that half of all construction spending in the United States is now going toward data centers. That isn't a speculative thesis. It's showing up in balance sheets.

The Infrastructure Buildout Has a Long Runway

Most companies tied to the data center expansion are sitting on three-year order backlogs. The upgrade cycle adds another layer: NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has guided for 100% sales growth in 2027, driven in part by the transition from Blackwell chips to the next-generation Vera Rubin architecture. What that means practically is that demand for the physical infrastructure supporting AI—power, cooling, storage, and server systems—isn't a one-year story.

nVent Electric: The Quiet Buildout Play

Navellier's first pick is nVent Electric (NYSE: NVT), a British-headquartered manufacturer of electrical components and liquid cooling systems used inside data centers. The stock competes in the same space as Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a name that's become well-known among AI infrastructure investors over the past year. nVent is newer to the conversation and, Navellier argues, still has room to run as the global buildout expands.

Bloom Energy: Fuel Cells Over the Grid

The second name on his list is Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE), which generates electricity through natural gas fuel cells rather than spinning turbines.

Data center operators—especially hyperscalers like Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) and asset managers like Brookfield—are bypassing an overtaxed electric grid through on-site power generation. Bloom's technology is considered more efficient than traditional setups, and Oracle recently expanded its contract with the company, sending shares up more than 30% in a week.

The caveat here is valuation. Bloom has surged well past where most analyst price targets sit. For investors considering a new position, Navellier acknowledges the stock is extended—but points to the backlog as the reason he's holding. The energy problem for AI isn't going away.

Comfort Systems: HVAC as an AI Trade

The third pick is Comfort Systems USA (NYSE: FIX), a commercial HVAC contractor whose business has quietly become more than 60% tied to data center construction.

Data centers generate enormous heat, and companies building them in dry climates—deserts, low-humidity regions—depend on contractors like Comfort Systems to keep everything running. It's not a chip play. It's a construction play, and the order backlog is just as real.

Seagate: Storage in a Memory-Constrained World

As AI models grow in complexity, so does the demand for storage. Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX) is Navellier's preferred name in the space over competitors like Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC)—which was one of the market's best-performing stocks last year—because it scores higher on his eight-factor fundamental model, which weights earnings momentum, cash flow, return on equity, and analyst revision trends.

Analysts, he notes, are historically slow to upgrade their estimates. His edge is stepping in early when the revisions start moving and riding the wave.

Super Micro: The Controversial Conviction Hold

The most debated name on the list is Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI). The company makes water-cooled rack systems used heavily in AI data centers—and by Navellier's account, makes the best ones. He's held it since early on and remains up roughly 500%, which colors his view: he has no interest in taking the capital gains hit.

The stock has had a rough stretch. A peak above $100 in early 2024 gave way to a stock trading near $25, after short sellers challenged the company's accounting practices, Ernst & Young resigned as auditor, and a co-founder was indicted in connection with alleged export violations of rack systems to China. That co-founder has since resigned. The company brought on a new auditor, and Navellier says he found nothing materially wrong when he reviewed the accounting himself.

Formally, his system rates SMCI a Hold. But he's not discouraging new buyers who believe in the fundamentals. Next-quarter sales are projected to grow 171%. It represents roughly 9% of NVIDIA's total revenue. Had analysts cut estimates, Navellier says, he would have gotten out. They haven't.

The risk here is real—volatility, class action litigation, and a trust deficit among retail investors who bought near the highs. For investors who missed the original move, the calculus is about whether the sales growth justifies re-entry at current levels. Navellier thinks it does, with the caveat that this one will move harder in both directions than the rest of the list.

Watch the Analyst Revisions

Across all five names, Navellier's through-line is the same: he follows where analysts are starting to upgrade, steps in early, and holds through the revision cycle. With three-year backlogs across the data center space and NVIDIA's own upgrade cycle still ahead, he's not in a hurry to rotate out. The construction phase of the AI story is still running—and it needs electricity, cooling, storage, and servers to keep going.

Where Should You Invest $1,000 Right Now?

Before you make your next trade, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis.

Our team has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and none of the big name stocks were on the list.

They believe these five stocks are the five best companies for investors to buy now...

See The Five Stocks Here

The article "5 Stocks Positioned to Win the AI Data Center Buildout" first appeared on MarketBeat.