In this article, we look at the 10 Best AI Networking Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.
AI networking has moved from a support role to one of the central investment themes in the artificial intelligence buildout. The reason is simple: AI infrastructure is scaling faster than traditional data-center networks were designed to handle. IDC reported that worldwide AI infrastructure spending reached $89.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 62% year over year, and expects total AI infrastructure spending to reach $758 billion by 2029. That spending is pushing demand beyond GPUs and servers into the systems that connect them.
The networking layer is now a critical bottleneck for AI workloads, especially as model training and inference require faster movement of data across large clusters. Dell’Oro Group expects 1.6 Tbps data-center switches to begin shipping in volume in 2026, driven by AI back-end networks. Meanwhile, demand is rising across Ethernet switching, optical components, high-speed interconnects, testing equipment, and communications infrastructure.
That creates a wider opportunity set for investors. The AI networking theme includes not only large switch vendors but also semiconductor, optical, broadband, and network equipment companies exposed to the growing need for faster, lower-latency, and more reliable AI data movement.
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Methodology
For this article, we screened AI networking stocks and ranked them by consensus analyst price targets. We then selected stocks with at least 25% implied upside from current levels.
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10. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE)
Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. On June 11, JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating on the stock and maintained its price target after a recent pullback in optical networking names. The firm argued that investor concerns around co-packaged optics adoption were overdone, a useful signal for a company increasingly tied to the optical layer of AI data centers.
The bull case has also been supported by Lumentum’s operating momentum. On May 5, the company reported fiscal third-quarter 2026 revenue of $808.4 million, up 90.1% year over year. Non-GAAP operating margin expanded to 32.2%, while non-GAAP diluted earnings per share rose to $2.37 from $0.57 a year earlier. Management said strength in laser chips and scale-across components helped the quarter, and pointed to co-packaged optics and optical circuit switches as future drivers of earnings power.
Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) is an optical and photonic technology company headquartered in San Jose, California. Its lasers, modules, and optical subsystems support AI infrastructure, cloud computing, data center connectivity, telecom networks, industrial manufacturing, and sensing applications.
9. Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTC)
Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTC) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a fresh AI infrastructure angle in mid-March when it launched a family of 224 Gbps per lane Transimpedance Amplifiers and Mach-Zehnder Modulator drivers for LRO, LPO, XPO, Near-Packaged Optics, and Co-Packaged Optics interconnect applications.
The products are designed to enable 800G, 1.6T, and 3.2T transceivers and optical engines for AI/ML clusters, hyperscale data centers, and next-generation cloud infrastructure. That makes Semtech a direct participant in one of the most important bottlenecks in AI infrastructure: moving data faster and more efficiently between accelerators, switches, and optical links. The company also said its linear interconnect architecture can remove the power-intensive digital signal processor from optical modules while maintaining link integrity, addressing power, cooling, and cost pressures in AI data centers.
The launch followed a stronger fiscal year. On March 16, Semtech reported fiscal 2026 record net sales of $1.05 billion, up 15% year over year, while non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share rose to $1.71.
Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ:SMTC) provides high-performance semiconductors for AI data center networking, IoT connectivity, and intelligent connected devices worldwide.
8. Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW)
Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a recent networking infrastructure catalyst on May 26, when it introduced a new long-haul portfolio aimed at improving capacity and reliability for long-distance connectivity.
The update expands Aviat’s all-indoor microwave platform by combining its Pasolink and IRU600 products into an integrated solution, adding a capacity and reliability upgrade for North American customers and introducing Pasolink LH for international trunking and backbone networks. The company said the offerings open an incremental addressable market of more than $250 million.
The launch is relevant to AI networking because high-capacity backbone and transport networks remain important as data traffic grows across cloud, enterprise, telecom, and private network environments. In North America, Aviat said Pasolink VR now supports its installed base of IRU600 indoor and ODU600 outdoor radio units, enabling support for up to 16 radios from one compact indoor chassis and increasing nodal capacity by up to 50%. Internationally, Pasolink LH can support up to 16 radio channels and more than 10 Gbps of aggregate capacity for trunking and backbone applications.
Aviat Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNW) provides wireless transport and access solutions for communications service providers and private network operators, including state and local government, utilities, federal government, and defense customers.
7. Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN)
Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a fresh AI networking update on June 4, when it reported fiscal second-quarter 2026 revenue of $1.57 billion, up 40% year over year.
Ciena also reported adjusted EPS of $1.64, up 290% from the prior-year quarter, and raised its fiscal 2026 revenue outlook to $6.3 billion, plus or minus $100 million. Management tied the performance directly to AI-driven demand, saying the company’s long-term strategy is aligned with structural, multi-year opportunities in high-speed connectivity across wide-area networks and in and around data centers.
That matters because AI infrastructure is not only a GPU story. Hyperscale data centers need optical transport, data center interconnect, coherent routing, automation software, and low-latency network capacity to move rising AI workloads. Ciena’s homepage describes its cloud and AI networking portfolio as supporting high-capacity, low-latency connectivity, including AI-ready IP networking, data center interconnect, scale-across networks, and scale-up and scale-out networks.
Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) provides networking systems, components, automation software, and services for high-speed connectivity, data transmission, and network management.
6. Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT)
Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a fresh AI infrastructure angle on June 1, when it announced progress on a production-grade digital twin capability for Vertiv SmartRun integrated into the NVIDIA Omniverse DSX Blueprint.
The system is designed to make AI factory infrastructure more configurable, repeatable, and simulation-ready, with Vertiv saying it can help design, simulate, and validate power, cooling, controls, and deployment workflows as a single system before build-out. That matters for AI networking because high-speed interconnects and dense accelerator clusters only work if the surrounding power and thermal infrastructure can support them at scale. Vertiv also said the SmartRun digital twin is the first phase of a multi-phase AI factory digital twin roadmap, aimed at narrowing the gap between accelerated compute innovation and physical infrastructure readiness.
The company added another data-center infrastructure update on June 3, when it introduced Vertiv PurgeRite NearZero, a fluid management service for commissioning closed-loop hydronic systems in data centers and other mission-critical environments. Vertiv said selected deployments reduced total water consumption by up to 78%, water haul-off volumes by up to 91%, and discharge management costs by as much as 34%.
Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) provides critical digital infrastructure technologies and services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments.
5. ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADTN)
ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADTN) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a recent optical networking angle on May 27, when euNetworks launched a new quantum-safe private connectivity service powered by Adtran’s encrypted optical transport technology.
The new Quantum Shield service was developed to protect sensitive data moving between European data centers, using Adtran’s optical transport technology to support secure, scalable data center connectivity across euNetworks’ pan-European network. Adtran said the infrastructure is built on its FSP 3000 optical transport platform, incorporates S-Flex technology for high-capacity encrypted data center interconnect services, and uses post-quantum cryptography aligned with NIST standards.
The relevance to AI networking is that AI workloads increase the importance of secure, high-capacity data-center connectivity. Adtran’s optical layer also includes real-time fiber monitoring through its ALM solution, which the company said can detect and locate fiber-tapping events while supporting low latency, high throughput, and enhanced security.
The company’s latest results also showed momentum in its optical business. On May 4, ADTRAN reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $286.1 million, up 15.5% year over year, and said it had introduced LiteWave800, its first product purpose-built for intra-data center AI infrastructure.
ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADTN) is a global provider of open, disaggregated networking and communications solutions for voice, data, video, and internet communications across network infrastructure.
4. Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX)
Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a recent regulatory and deployment angle on June 3, when it said the FCC’s latest Conditional Approval notice, combined with prior authorizations, now covers all Calix gateway appliances under the agency’s phased approval process.
The approval permits the continued importation, sale, and deployment of Calix gateway appliances, giving service providers confidence to keep ordering and supporting the products across their markets. Calix said service providers can deploy its GigaSpire and GigaPro gateway appliances integrated with the AI-native Calix One platform to deliver differentiated broadband experiences.
The news matters because AI networking is not limited to hyperscale data centers. Broadband providers also need intelligent network platforms, gateway systems, automation, security updates, and subscriber-facing AI tools as connectivity demand grows across homes, businesses, municipalities, and multi-dwelling units. Calix said it will continue delivering software, security, and firmware updates across its installed base, while also expanding its gateway appliance portfolio to address customer needs.
Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) is an AI platform company that enables service providers to transform operations and deliver differentiated broadband experiences through appliances, cloud software, AI agents, and managed services.
3. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a fresh AI infrastructure catalyst on June 9, when it announced the AI XPV Platform with Apollo and Blackstone as initial anchor investors.
The platform is designed to enable more than 20 gigawatts of compute capacity through 2028 using Broadcom’s XPUs and networking solutions customized for frontier AI labs, including Anthropic and OpenAI. It is launching with an initial $35 billion tranche, led by Apollo in partnership with Blackstone, to support Anthropic’s planned expansion of more than 1 gigawatt of compute infrastructure at Fluidstack-based sites, starting in mid-2026.
That makes Broadcom one of the cleanest fits for an AI networking list because the story is not only about custom accelerators. The company’s AI infrastructure roadmap also depends on networking solutions that connect accelerators, servers, and large-scale AI clusters for training and inference. Broadcom said the platform creates a scalable framework for future XPU-based compute capacity and networking aimed at enabling frontier model training and inference at lower cost and power.
Broadcom’s latest results reinforced the momentum. On June 3, the company reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $22.19 billion, up 48% year over year, while AI semiconductor revenue reached $10.8 billion, up 143%, driven by demand for custom AI accelerators and AI networking.
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) designs, develops, and supplies semiconductors and infrastructure software for global organizations’ complex, mission-critical technology needs.
2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE)
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a fresh AI networking update on June 1, when it reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $10.7 billion, up 40% from the prior-year period.
The strongest signal came from HPE’s networking business. Networking revenue reached $2.7 billion in the quarter, up 148.2% year over year, while Data Center Networking revenue rose 233.3% to $320 million. Cloud & AI revenue also reached $7.7 billion, up 22.9% from the prior-year period, supported by stronger server demand.
The numbers are relevant to the AI networking theme because HPE is no longer just a server and hybrid-cloud story. Its expanded networking portfolio, strengthened by Juniper, gives it exposure to campus, branch, routing, security, and data-center networking demand as enterprises build infrastructure for AI workloads. HPE also raised its fiscal 2026 revenue growth outlook to 29% to 33% and lifted its Networking segment growth outlook to 72% to 75%.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE) is an enterprise technology company that brings together AI, cloud, and networking solutions to help organizations modernize infrastructure and improve operational performance.
1. Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN)
Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) is one of the best AI networking stocks to buy according to analysts. The company gave investors a recent enterprise networking angle on May 28, when its RUCKUS Networks business, alongside Fortis Solutions, deployed a full Wi-Fi 7 network infrastructure modernization at Oakland Arena.
The project included nearly 300 RUCKUS Hyper-Directional T670sn Wi-Fi 7 access points, upgraded controllers, and a refresh of the venue’s routing and switching infrastructure. Vistance said the installation also used RUCKUS ICX switches with multi-gigabit and 10-gigabit ports, creating a wired backbone designed to support rising data demands and future-ready applications.
The deployment showed the company’s networking technology in a demanding, high-density environment. During two back-to-back sold-out K-pop concerts, the system handled 8.22 terabytes of traffic over two days with 100% switch uptime and no disruption, according to the company. Vistance said Oakland Arena now has up to ten times faster connectivity, lower infrastructure costs, simpler operations, and better ongoing network-management efficiency.
Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) is a provider of intelligent network solutions through brands including RUCKUS Networks and Aurora Networks, offering enterprise networking, broadband access, and communications infrastructure technologies.
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