Nebius expects cloud computing capacity to increase significantly in 2026.
SoundHound AI is integrating generative AI into business and customer interactions.
IonQ is a major player in the quantum computing space.
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It's fun to try and find stocks that have the potential to go parabolic. The parabolic rise begins gradually and accelerates over a short span of time, increasing rapidly. Therefore, for such stocks, investors have the opportunity to gradually add to their positions during periods of slower growth, perhaps before reaching an inflection point and starting to rise more sharply.
Here are three stocks that I think have the potential to go parabolic in 2026. Nevius (NASDAQ:NBIS), Soundhound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN)and ion Q(NYSE:IONQ). So far, all three investments have been successful, but 2026 could be an even bigger year of growth.
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Nebius provides cloud computing infrastructure and solutions focused on artificial intelligence. The company's data centers are equipped with the best graphics processing units (GPUs) available, and the company anticipates strong demand for its compute clusters. For data center operators, access to the electricity needed to power energy-intensive systems has proven to be a key factor limiting growth. Previously, Nebius expected contracted power capacity to be approximately 1 gigawatt by the end of 2026. However, in its latest report to shareholders, it expects to have 2.5 gigawatts of contracted power capacity by then, significantly increasing potential revenue growth. There is a huge demand for AI computing power, and Nebius aims to provide a small portion of it.
If the company's forecast holds true, annual run-rate revenue would increase from $551 million in the third quarter of 2025 to between $7 billion and $9 billion by the end of 2026. This is parabolic growth, which could result in stock prices skyrocketing. Nevius stock currently looks expensive at 66 times sales, but it's actually quite cheap when compared to expected sales in 2026.
NBIS PS Ratio data by YCharts.
With the potential for explosive growth to come soon, we think Nebius would be a great candidate to buy now.
SoundHound AI combines generative AI technology with speech recognition. Its technology allows clients to replace human employees in jobs that involve repetitive customer interactions, such as insurance representatives or drive-thru order takers, with conversational AI systems. We are already seeing great results. Third-quarter revenue increased 68% year-over-year. We also have many famous clients. For example, in the third quarter, three of the top 10 global financial services companies reported expanding their contracts with the company to include additional services, and two renewed their contracts.
Management is bullish on the company's prospects, claiming that SoundHound AI can achieve organic growth of more than 50% in the “foreseeable future.” This is a recipe for a stock with the potential for parabolic growth, where a few big customer wins could push the stock into unprecedented territory.
ion Q(NYSE:IONQ) is one of the major pure plays in the quantum computing field. Quantum computing as an industry is at the beginning of a parabola, and the demand for this technology is gradually increasing. However, quantum computing is not expected to be commercially available and begin mainstream adoption until 2030 at the earliest. There are several years until then, and IonQ's stock price could move wildly if the company is successful during that time.
The way I see it, IonQ stock is one more announcement away from skyrocketing. It could be a breakthrough that no one expected, or it could be the announcement that a major cloud computing player is giving up on building its own quantum computing system and partnering with IonQ. Either way, if IonQ continues to perform well in its quest to develop viable quantum computing solutions, I expect the stock price to rise slowly for some time. But eventually, an inflection point may be reached, after which the stock price will rise dramatically.
However, all three stocks come with a big “if.”
There are many players, from big tech companies to small pure-play companies, trying to develop reliable and commercially useful quantum computing systems. There is no guarantee that IonQ will survive the fierce competition.
No one knows how well a generative AI agent taking over as a customer service representative will be accepted by the public.
Nebius may not be able to grow its actual cloud capacity as quickly as planned, which may result in clients leaving elsewhere.
These are all scenarios that could cause a decline in the stock price in question. As a result, investing in them involves considerable risk. But it is precisely because of this uncertainty that there is still potential for a parabolic rise. I remain bullish on all three stocks, but investors considering buying these stocks need to be realistic about the risks.
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Keithen Drury has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns and recommends IonQ and SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks That Could Go Parabola in 2026 was originally published by The Motley Fool.
