Beyond NVIDIA: 4 AI & Quantum Plays Aiming Big Platform Upside in 2026

Most investors in 2026 agree on one thing- putting money into established AI leaders is the clearest way to tap into the ongoing tech boom. Companies such as NVIDIA NVDA continue to benefit directly from hyperscaler and enterprise AI infrastructure spending. Zacks Consensus Estimates points to fiscal 2026 revenue near $213 billion, supported by next-generation GPU platforms and a deeply embedded software ecosystem. Multi-billion-dollar AI data center expansions by major cloud providers reinforce demand visibility.

The debate now is where incremental capital should flow - toward emerging AI players with accelerating monetization, or toward speculative quantum computing firms offering asymmetric upside. In this article, we examine two AI-focused names — SoundHound AI SOUN and Marvell MRVL, along with 2 quantum computing stocks IonQ IONQ and D-Wave Quantum QBTS. Together, they represent distinct risk-reward pathways across AI software, AI semiconductor infrastructure and next-generation computing architectures.

Let’s delve deeper.

Budding AI or Quantum: Where to Rotate Money?

On the AI side, SoundHound AI and Marvell offer exposure to two different layers of the AI value chain with measurable growth trajectories.

SoundHound AI’s recent results show strong top-line momentum, with the last-reported third quarter 2025 revenue of up 68% year over year and 2025 guidance implying nearly 98% annual growth, albeit from a small base and with continued net losses as it invests in monetization and scaling products like its Amelia agentic AI platform. In 2026, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock is expected to report earnings growth of 56.9% on revenue growth of 38.3%.

Marvell’s infrastructure-focused model demonstrates much larger scale and robust demand from AI data centers, reporting $2.006 billion in revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2026, up 58% year over year, with its data center segment alone accounting for roughly 74% of total revenue driven by custom AI silicon and high-bandwidth interconnect products tied to hyperscaler deployments. Marvell’s figures reflect firm scale and AI-driven revenue concentration, offering investors a contrast between early-stage AI software expansion and established AI infrastructure success within the broader ecosystem. In its fiscal 2027 (ending Jan 2027), this Zacks Rank #3 stock is expected to report earnings growth of 23.3% on revenue growth of 22.8%.

By comparison, on the quantum front, in its third quarter 2025 earnings release, IonQ reported revenue of $39.9 million, marking a 222% year-over-year increase and exceeding the high end of its prior guidance by 37%. This sharp acceleration reflects expanded commercial engagements and strategic growth activities. The company also reported a pro-forma cash, cash equivalents and investments balance of $3.5 billion after completing a $2 billion equity offering, providing substantial runway for continued R&D and platform scaling. IonQ continues to operate at a net loss as it invests heavily in technology development and ecosystem expansion. In 2026, this Zacks Rank #3 stock is expected to report earnings growth of 65.8% on revenue growth of 38.3%.

D-Wave’s third quarter 2025 results show foundational revenue gains at an earlier stage of commercial traction. The company reported $3.7 million in revenue, representing a 100% increase year over year. Gross profit also expanded significantly and the company ended the quarter with a record cash balance of $836 million, reflecting strong liquidity following prior financing activity. Like IonQ, D-Wave reported net losses as it continues product development and market expansion efforts. In 2026, this Zacks Rank #3 stock is expected to report earnings growth of 8.7% on revenue growth of 67.8%.

D-Wave Quantum Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

D-Wave Quantum Inc. price-eps-surprise | D-Wave Quantum Inc. Quote

The Contrast Remains Structural

SoundHound AI and Marvell are monetizing AI today, generating tens of millions to billions in quarterly revenue tied directly to enterprise deployments and data center expansion.

IonQ and D-Wave, by contrast, operate from a much smaller revenue base and remain heavily R&D-driven.

Valuation frameworks differ accordingly. AI infrastructure names are evaluated on revenue durability, backlog visibility and margin trajectory. Quantum companies are priced on technical milestones, qubit performance progress, commercialization inflection points and long-term TAM assumptions.

That said, if their respective technologies become foundational to next-generation AI or quantum workloads, all four companies have the potential to evolve into platform ecosystems,  similar to NVIDIA, where developer adoption, infrastructure centrality and software integration drive exponential value creation. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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