Three AI stocks outpacing Nvidia's 11% gain in 2026

The article presents three AI infrastructure stocks as outperformers relative to Nvidia's 11% year-to-date return. Each company serves a distinct role in the AI buildout beyond the chips themselves.

Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) produces power management systems that prevent data center overload and work alongside liquid-cooling solutions to maintain uptime for AI chips. The stock has rallied more than 40% year to date, driven by growing demand from AI data centers. In the first quarter, the company's revenue increased 26.1% year over year, with net income growing at a slightly faster rate. Two business segments dominate: Enterprise data, which accounts for about one-third of sales and nearly doubled year over year by addressing power management and integrated solutions for AI chips and servers; and Communications, which focuses on telecom infrastructure, satellite systems, and networking equipment, contributes 14% of sales, and posted 55.5% year-over-year growth and 33.1% sequential growth thanks to AI demand.

Astera Labs (ALAB) creates rack-scale connectivity hardware and software enabling faster data transmission between AI chips and server clusters for hyperscalers. Its revenue nearly doubled year over year in the first quarter, with 14% sequential growth signaling solid momentum. Management's Q2 guidance implies 16.7% sequential revenue growth at the $360 million（約580億円） midpoint, though the article notes that if recent history holds, actual growth may reach closer to 20%—citing Astera's track record of beating guidance, including delivering $308.4 million（約490億円） in Q1 revenue against a $297 million（約480億円） forecast. The stock has nearly doubled this year but has fallen roughly 33% from its recent peak, which the article characterizes as a buying opportunity.

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) supplies electronic design automation software and hardware used by chipmakers including Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices to test and build semiconductors before sending designs to foundries. While up almost 20% this year, its growth is more moderate than the other two picks. The company sports a record $8 billion（約1.3兆円） backlog and has guided investors to expect 17% revenue growth for 2026. The article highlights agentic AI as a major future tailwind, noting that Cadence's technology enables the design of more advanced AI chips capable of handling more rigorous workloads than those currently in data centers, positioning it as a key checkpoint for the next generation of AI chip development.

The article positions these three stocks as beneficiaries of the broader AI infrastructure wave that extends beyond Nvidia itself. Rather than competing directly with Nvidia's chips, each company addresses a specific layer of the AI buildout: power delivery, networking, and design tools. This segmentation reflects how the industry's growth is diffusing across suppliers.

Monolithic Power Systems' enterprise data segment nearly doubled year over year in the first quarter and accounts for about one-third of total sales; its communications segment, focused on telecom and satellite infrastructure, rose 55.5% year over year and contributes 14% of revenue. Astera Labs has delivered sequential revenue growth rates consistently above guidance—delivering $308.4 million（約490億円） when only $297 million（約480億円） was forecast for Q1—suggesting management conservatism that could support future surprises. Cadence Design Systems, while growing more slowly, carries a record $8 billion（約1.3兆円） backlog and benefits from the emerging agentic AI workload, which the article suggests will require more advanced chip designs.

The article's framing hinges on the assumption that these infrastructure suppliers will extend their outperformance into 2027 as their respective markets mature. However, this is a prospective claim; the demonstrated fact is that all three have already outpaced Nvidia's 11% return during 2026.

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