[2026-2027 Complete Edition] AI-related stocks that will rise in the future | Thorough explanation of favorite stocks, market predictions, and Japanese stock roadmap

[Summary]

The generative AI boom that started in 2023 has progressed to the next stage as of 2026.

Investors are now starting to select companies that actually lead to sales, profits, orders, and recurring payments, instead of being bought just because they say they are "AI-related", as was the case in the past.

There are seven themes to focus on from 2026 to 2027:

• AI semiconductor
• Physical AI
• Data center
• Power infrastructure
• Edge AI
• AI security
• AI agent

In Japanese stocks, companies with strengths in robotics, heavy electrical equipment, power control, semiconductors, and AI SaaS are likely to be reevaluated.

In this article, we will summarize the core of the AI ​​market in 2026, the themes where funds will go next, the favorite candidates for Japanese stocks, and the investment roadmap for 2027.

First, the conclusion

What is important for AI-related stocks in 2026-2027 is not only the companies that create AI.

In fact, the next most likely to be evaluated are companies that can implement AI into society and turn it into profits.

Investment themes are likely to shift as follows.

2023〜2025year：Key point
2026year：AIdata centers、Key point
2027year：AIagent、Key point

In other words, the second act of the AI market is

Market price where only “companies that truly generate profits through AI” remain

It is.

Regarding Japanese stocks, the following groups of stocks are candidates to watch.

However, the stock prices of AI-related stocks tend to fluctuate due to anticipation.

What is important is to look not only at the theme, but also at sales growth, profit margin, cash flow, and valuation.

To the second act of AI bubble

In the AI market from 2023 to 2025, GPUs, semiconductors, and generative AI models were the main players.

During this phase, NVIDIA's data center sales expanded rapidly, and large US stocks such as Microsoft and AMD were also evaluated as key players in AI infrastructure investment.

However, as we enter 2026, investors' perspectives begin to change.

What the market sees is

• Is AI increasing sales?
• Is AI improving profit margins?
• Will AI investment lead to recurring charges?
• Can we overcome power and equipment constraints?

It is.

Companies that simply use the word AI will be screened more strictly than before.

On the other hand, companies where AI demand leads to actual capital investment, cloud usage fees, robot demand, and power infrastructure renewal are likely to be subject to capital inflows in 2026-2027 as well.

Chapter 1 | The main characters in 2026 will be “infrastructure” and “physical AI”

The most important change in the AI market in 2026 is that AI will begin to emerge from screens and into the real world.

Beyond chatbots and image generation, AI is expanding into factories, logistics, construction, healthcare, defense, power grids, and data center operations.

The following two themes are attracting attention in this trend.

The more AI is implemented in society, the more software alone will not be enough.

Robots, sensors, power, cooling, semiconductors, and control equipment will be required.

This is where the strength of Japanese companies lies.

What is physical AI?

Physical AI is an area where AI recognizes the real world, makes decisions, and operates robots and machines.

If generative AI is ``AI that handles words,'' physical AI is ``AI that operates in the real world.''

It can be used in a wide range of areas.

• Factory automation
• Logistics robot
• Autonomous driving
• Drone
• Medical support
• Defense
• Construction machinery

In Japan, where there is an increasing labor shortage, physical AI is not just a growth theme, but can also serve as social infrastructure to compensate for the labor shortage.

Favorite Candidate 1｜6954 FANUC

FANUC is a global industrial robot and factory automation company.

In May 2026, in collaboration with Google, we announced the evolution of a physical AI robot system in which robots are controlled by AI agents using Google's technology.

Furthermore, it has announced that it will strengthen its collaboration with NVIDIA, and is attracting a lot of attention as a stock that will implement AI into actual factories.

Points of note

• Industrial robot track record
• Demand for factory automation
• Connecting AI agent and robot control *Technical collaboration with Google and NVIDIA

Investment perspective

For FANUC, even if the AI boom ends in a short period of time, the actual demand for factory automation is likely to remain.

Therefore, even though it is a theme stock, it is easy to see it as a real demand AI stock.

Risk

Easily affected by external demand and capital investment cycles.

If manufacturing investment in China, the United States and Europe slows, demand for robots could also weaken.

Favorite Candidate 2｜6506 Yaskawa Electric

Yaskawa Electric is a company that is strong in servo motors, inverters, and industrial robots.

Under the slogan "i3-Mechatronics," the company is working to create smart factories that combine machinery, control, and data utilization.

The company's financial results for the fiscal year ending February 2026 also mention the development of the autonomous AI robot "MOTOMAN NEXT," which can easily be seen in the context of physical AI and smart factories.

Points of note

• Servo motor and robot foundation
• Factory/logistics automation
• Data-based mechatronics
• Dealing with labor shortages

Investment perspective

If FANUC is the representative company for robots, Yaskawa Electric is an important company for the control and drive that moves robots.

The more AI moves the real world, the more important control equipment, servos, and inverters become.

Risk

It is an economy-sensitive stock and is easily affected by the capital investment cycle.

In addition, demand for China and fluctuations in exchange rates will also be used as confirmation materials.

Favorite candidate 3｜4425 Kudan

Kudan is a company that has spatial recognition technology necessary for robots and autonomous driving.

The company's spatial recognition technology, such as SLAM, could be used in robotics, drones, autonomous driving, and mapping.

The company has announced that it will expand its collaboration with South Korea's UCS in 2026, and is moving forward with the development of mapping and robotics applications using LiDAR SLAM.

Points of note

• Spatial recognition equivalent to the robot's "eyes" *SLAM technology
• Application to drones, robots, and autonomous driving
• Themes related to physical AI

Investment perspective

Kudan has a very strong theme in the physical AI market.

On the other hand, it is a small-sized growth stock, so you need to be careful about its performance stability and stock price fluctuations.

Risk

Higher volatility than large-cap stocks.

After being bought solely on thematic basis, if a delay in monetization appears, the stock price may undergo a major adjustment.

Chapter 2 | AI data center and power infrastructure

The biggest constraint on the AI market is not just GPUs.

As of 2026, electricity is rapidly becoming a focus of attention.

The IEA points out that power demand for AI and data centers is rapidly increasing. Data centers are the core infrastructure that supports AI model learning and inference, and power, cooling, power grids, transformers, power storage, and operational management are likely to become bottlenecks.

In other words, the AI market is not limited to semiconductors.

• Power
• Substation
• Cooling
• Data center operation
• Cloud
• Network

It is spreading to

Favorite Candidate 4｜3778 Sakura Internet

Sakura Internet is a representative Japanese stock of domestic cloud, GPU cloud, and generative AI infrastructure.

The company is developing generative AI/GPU cloud services, and offers products such as the "High Firepower" series equipped with NVIDIA GPUs.

Domestic cloud computing is becoming increasingly important for companies and research institutions that want to secure an AI infrastructure in Japan.

Points of note

• Domestic GPU cloud
• Computational resources for generative AI
• Domestic data center
• Government/corporate AI infrastructure demand

Investment perspective

Sakura Internet is a stock that directly receives demand for AI calculations.

However, because the stock has a strong theme, it is easy to factor future expectations into the stock price.

Risk

I would like to check the capital investment burden, GPU procurement, electricity cost, and competitive environment.

While high growth is expected, valuations tend to be high and companies are sensitive to disappointing financial results.

Favorite Candidate 5｜6501 Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi is a big contender on the other side of the AI infrastructure market.

Through Hitachi Energy, the company has strengths in power transmission and distribution, transformers, HVDC, power systems, etc.

In 2026, the company plans to announce "HMAX Energy," a service for energy infrastructure that utilizes AI, to help improve operational efficiency and reliability of energy equipment.

Furthermore, the two companies have announced a collaboration to develop an energy park that will supply GW-level power in North America for AI data centers.

Points of note

• Power grid, transformers, power transmission and distribution
• Power supply for AI data centers
• AI for social infrastructure
• Global electrification demand

Investment perspective

Rather than being a company that sells AI itself, Hitachi is a company that supports the social infrastructure that powers AI.

If the demand for transformers, power transmission, power control, and maintenance increases due to the increase in AI data centers, it will likely be a long-term tailwind.

Risk

As it is a large-cap stock, the stock price does not move solely due to the AI theme.

It is necessary to take a comprehensive look at the performance of multiple businesses such as railways, IT, energy, and industry.

Favorite Candidate 6｜6503 Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Electric is a company that can be noted for its fields of FA, power control, equipment, and data centers.

In January 2026, the company announced an investment in Lucend, a US startup that develops an AI platform for data center operation optimization.

The company aims to strengthen the competitiveness of its data center-related business by combining equipment and infrastructure control technology with data center operation optimization AI.

They have also announced collaboration in the grid edge area, which is also related to the theme of data acquisition, control, and optimization on the power consumer side.

Points of note

*FA and power control

• Data center operation optimization *grid edge
• Energy saving and stable operation of AI data center

Investment perspective

Building an AI data center is not enough.

Power, water, cooling, equipment availability, CO2 emissions, and operating costs need to be continuously optimized.

Mitsubishi Electric is easily seen as an AI infrastructure stock on the "operation optimization" side.

Risk

The extent to which AI data center related contributions will be made to the company's business performance will need to be confirmed through future orders and business disclosures.

Chapter 3 | Next-generation AI themes where funds will go in 2027

If AI infrastructure is the focus of 2026, 2027 could be a phase in which profits are recovered from AI.

There are three things I would like to pay particular attention to:

Favorite Candidate 7｜3993 PKSHA Technology

PKSHA Technology is a company that is attracting attention in the areas of enterprise AI solutions, AI SaaS, and AI agents.

The company's website offers services such as AI Contact Center and AI Agents Platform that use AI to enhance corporate customer service and employee experience.

By 2027, companies may move from simple chatbots to AI agents that can autonomously perform tasks.

Points of note

• AI SaaS
• AI agent
• Call center automation
• Improve operational efficiency
• Stock type income

Investment perspective

What the market will look at after investing in AI infrastructure is how much companies can use AI to reduce costs and increase sales.

PKSHA is likely to be seen as a candidate for incorporating social implementation of AI into corporate operations.

Risk

AI SaaS is highly competitive.

The focus will be on whether they can maintain growth rates and profit margins in competition with major cloud companies, foreign AI companies, and domestic system integrators.

Favorite Candidate 8｜6723 Renesas Electronics

Renesas Electronics is a company that is strong in automotive and industrial semiconductors.

AI processing has expanded from an era where everything was done on the cloud side to edge AI where processing is done on the device side.

Renesas develops AI/ML development stacks and MCUs/MPUs that support AI acceleration, and is attracting attention in areas such as automotive, industrial equipment, IoT, and HMI.

Points of note

• Edge AI
• Automotive semiconductor
• AI for industrial equipment
• IoT devices
• Low power consumption AI processing

Investment perspective

If terminal-side AI continues to spread after data center AI, edge AI semiconductors will become an important theme.

As cars, factories, home appliances, medical equipment, and sensors become more AI-based, the demand for chips that can make inferences with low power consumption will grow.

Risk

Easily affected by automotive market conditions, inventory cycles, and semiconductor cycles.

It is necessary to look at not only the AI ​​theme but also demand for automobile production and industrial equipment.

Favorite Candidate 9｜4704 Trend Micro

As AI becomes more popular, security risks also increase.

The scope that companies must protect against is expanding, including the misuse of generated AI, deepfakes, information leaks, vulnerabilities in AI applications, and supply chain attacks.

Trend Micro is developing services in the AI ​​security field, centering on Trend Vision One, and is easily seen as a candidate for corporate defense.

Points of note

• AI abuse countermeasures
• Corporate security
• Cloud endpoint defense
• Information protection when using AI apps
• Recurring billing business

Investment perspective

In the age of AI, not only companies that create AI but also companies that protect AI will be important.

In particular, the more companies adopt AI, the more security will become an investment area that cannot be postponed.

Risk

The security market is highly competitive.

I would like to check the growth rate, renewal rate, and differentiation from overseas competitors.

Favorite companies in the US AI market

When looking at Japanese stocks, it is important to check who is the main player in the US AI market.

##NVIDIA

NVIDIA is a company at the center of the AI revolution.

In the company's 2026 fourth quarter financial results, data center sales have increased significantly, and the company is at the center of AI infrastructure investment.

What is important is that it extends beyond GPUs to include AI servers, networks, software, physical AI, and autonomous driving.

Microsoft

Microsoft is expanding AI into enterprise use through its relationship with OpenAI, Azure, Microsoft 365, and Copilot.

Cloud and AI are also indicated as central themes of the company's financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026.

As AI agents and business automation progress, Microsoft's platform power will continue to become the market standard.

AMD

AMD is attracting attention in the AI semiconductor and data center market as a competitor to NVIDIA.

The first quarter results of 2026 show growth in AI infrastructure demand and data center business.

The more cloud companies seek multiple procurement sources, the more likely AMD's presence will increase compared to NVIDIA's powerhouse.

Comparison of major AI stocks

The most important thing about AI stock investment in 2026-2027

1. Don't buy just because of the word "AI related"

After 2026, AI-related stocks will be screened.

What we should look at is the numbers, not the flashiness of the news.

*Sales growth *Operating profit

• backlog
• ARR and recurring charges *Capital investment recovery *Cash flow

An IR that says AI is not enough.

We need to see if it actually leads to profits.

2. Check high PER stocks based on financial results

AI-related stocks are likely to be bought based on future expectations.

Therefore, PER and PBR tend to be high.

For stocks with high valuations, even a slight slowdown in growth can cause their stock prices to drop significantly.

I would like to confirm the following points in the financial statements.

• Are sales continuing to grow?
• Is the profit margin improving?
• Is capital investment progressing toward profitability?
• Is the company plan conservative or too bullish?
• Is the stock price priced too far in advance?

3. Broaden your perspective from “semiconductors only”

The AI market is not limited to semiconductors alone.

The following infrastructure is required to run AI.

• Power
• Transformer
• Cooling
• Network
• Data center
• Robot *Security
• Business applications

In fact, from 2026 to 2027, funds may go to these peripheral infrastructures next to semiconductors.

2026-2027 Investment Roadmap

2026

In 2026, the foundation for running AI will be the focus.

The themes of interest are as follows.

*AI data center

• Power infrastructure
• GPU cloud
• Physical AI
• Robotics

At this stage, we would like to prioritize companies that have already made capital investments and received orders.

2027

In 2027, there is a possibility that the company will move to the stage of collecting profits through AI.

The themes of interest are as follows.

• AI agent
• AI SaaS
• Edge AI
• AI security
• Business automation

Companies that can use AI to reduce costs and increase sales for their customers are likely to be evaluated here.

Concept of portfolio

Rather than concentrating only on AI-related stocks, it is more realistic to diversify the themes.

The AI market is strong, but if expectations get ahead of it, it can also fall sharply.

By considering the core and high-growth areas separately, it is easier to avoid excessive risk concentration while staying on top of the theme.

Conclusion

The AI market is not finished.

Rather, 2026-2027 will be the period when AI will be fully implemented in society.

However, the main players in the market will change.

If GPU and generation AI were the main players from 2023 to 2025, from 2026 onwards,

• Physical AI
• Data center
• Power infrastructure
• Edge AI
• AI agent
• AI security

It spreads to.

Japanese stocks have strengths in robotics, heavy electrical equipment, edge semiconductors, and AI SaaS.

In other words, from 2026 to 2027,

The year when Japanese AI stocks will be reevaluated as a group of companies implementing AI in society

There is a possibility that it will become.

However, when making investment decisions, you should look at numbers, not dreams.

Only companies with sales, profits, orders, recurring charges, and cash flow are likely to survive in the second act of the AI ​​market.

■ Concept

Conveying at a glance that “AI’s second act is infrastructure and implementation”

■ Text

• Main: “Favorite AI stocks 2026-2027”
• Sub: "Infrastructure Robot Agent"

■ Color scheme

• Black × Cyan × Yellow
• Expressing the innovativeness and strength of the investment theme

■ Configuration

*Left: AI chip

• Center: upward chart
• Right: Robot arm and power icon

Source

• IEA: Key Questions on Energy and AI
• FANUC: Accelerating social implementation of physical AI through collaboration with Google
• FANUC: Strengths Collaboration with NVIDIA
• Sakura Internet: Generation AI/GPU cloud service
• Yaskawa Electric: Summary of financial results for the fiscal year ending February 2026
• Kudan: Collaboration with UCS in Korea
• Hitachi: HMAX Energy
• Hitachi: Energy Parks collaboration for AI data centers
• [Mitsubishi Electric: Invested in data center operation optimization AI platform Lucend] (https://www.mitsubishielectric.co.jp/ja/pr/2026/0127-b/)
• Renesas: AI Technologies
• Trend Micro: Trend Vision One AI Security
• NVIDIA: FY2026 Q4 Financial Results
• Microsoft: FY26 Q3 Results
• AMD:Q1 2026 Financial Results