3 US Stocks Riding The AI Data Center Buildout Boom

Long-term yields near 5% and mortgage rates around 7.5% are pulling money toward bonds just as AI and industrial capex spending are pouring fresh cash into data centers, chips, and heavy equipment. Capital is getting choosier. That tension can reward investors who separate durable beneficiaries from passengers. This article walks through three US-listed stocks exposed to that AI and capex news, along with the reasons each might deserve a closer look now.

The three stocks below are just a sample, with the full screen surfacing another 44 US-listed companies with equally compelling AI and industrial capex narratives that are not covered here.

If you want to identify and analyze those potential beneficiaries side by side, head straight to the AI and Industrial Capital Expenditure Beneficiaries (US-listed) screener.

Tutor Perini (TPC)

Tutor Perini sits in this AI and industrial capex screener as a large US contractor that can win work on the physical infrastructure supporting data centers, transport links and utility upgrades that keep digital build-outs running on time.

Tutor Perini is a diversified construction contractor, with roughly US$3.3b from Civil work and US$2.1b from Building, while Specialty Contractors add about US$970 million, tying its fortunes to large public and private projects tied to broader capex cycles. The stock carries a market value of about US$4.4b.

"Escalating workforce and technology costs, combined with labor shortages, may limit margin expansion and compress profitability despite a strong project backlog."

What happens to Tutor Perini’s earnings power if one unseen pressure on its project mix quietly shifts the balance between pricing power and cost creep?

That pricing squeeze is exactly what the full narrative for Tutor Perini unpacks, showing where capex-heavy work could accelerate, where risk is concentrated, and what might be masking Tutor Perini’s true earnings power.

Viavi Solutions (VIAV)

Viavi Solutions supplies the plumbing that keeps AI era networks honest, with testing gear and optical tech that service providers, hyperscalers, and defense buyers rely on to keep traffic flowing.

"Viavi is experiencing robust and sustained demand across the data center ecosystem, with customers updating optical connectivity to 400G, 800G, and now 1.6T, enabling multi-year upgrade cycles and expanding its total addressable market, which should drive structural revenue growth through 2026 and beyond."

What happens to Viavi Solutions’ earnings power if a single assumption about how quickly those upgrade budgets actually materialize starts to shift.

If that timing risk matters to you, the full narrative for Viavi Solutions explains how Viavi Solutions could still benefit if upgrades accelerate, stall, or quietly decouple from consensus expectations.

Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS)

Advanced Energy Industries plugs directly into the AI and industrial capex story, supplying the precision power systems that let fabs, data centers, and high-end electronics gear run reliably when chipmakers and cloud giants ramp spending on new capacity.

"Management raised the Data Center Computing outlook specifically from roughly mid-30% to at least 50%."

What happens to Advanced Energy Industries’ earnings profile if a single assumption about how long that surge in high-power AI demand lasts begins to shift?

Advanced Energy Industries focuses on precision power conversion and control for semiconductor tools, advanced electronics, and AI infrastructure, generating about US$2.0b in Power Electronics Conversion Products revenue and carrying a market value near US$11.2b.

That turning point in high-power AI demand is exactly what the full narrative for Advanced Energy Industries unpacks, separating the short-term surge from the longer-cycle opportunity for Advanced Energy Industries.

Seeking Alternatives Before Momentum Flies

Fresh ideas often move first. Stocks with real momentum rarely stay under the radar for long before the crowd responds and entry points become less attractive, so timing can matter.

• Evaluate income-focused stocks before yields adjust to increased attention and review a curated mix of steady payers using the 8 dividend fortresses.
• Identify potential future compounders while they are still less widely followed by scanning a refined pool of quality tickers through the 16 high quality undiscovered gems.
• Monitor possible breakout candidates among resilient operators and compare their risk profiles efficiently within the curated universe inside the 30 resilient stocks with low risk scores.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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