Major banks recommend! Wedbush's "AI 30" list has been released. Who has been nominated, and who has been eliminated?

On the eve of the Jackson Hole Annual Economic Symposium, Meta unexpectedly announced a shift in its AI strategy, catalyzing market risk-averse sentiments.

Despite the recent market pullback, Morgan Stanley remains optimistic about the prospects of AI. The firm recently stated that the surge in productivity and cost reductions brought about by artificial intelligence (AI) could add an additional $13 to $16 trillion in value to the S&P 500 Index. According to Morgan Stanley's highest estimate, this would imply a 29% increase in the market capitalization of this benchmark index.

Morgan Stanley strategists estimate that Agentic AI (artificial intelligence capable of making decisions and taking actions with less oversight than generative AI) could contribute approximately $490 billion in value, while embodied AI (humanoid robots) could contribute approximately $430 billion in value.

Earlier this year, Wall Street analyst Daniel Ives from Wedbush also noted that the AI revolution is expected to continue for several more years, representing the fourth industrial revolution and the largest technological transformation in 40 years.

At that time, the 'AI 30' list was also launched; interested fellow investors can click to view it.'Could AI Trigger the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Wall Street Hails: These 6 Major Industries and 30 Stocks Are Full of Potential!'

Notably, the firm has also recently updated its 'AI 30' list, incorporating... $CrowdStrike(CRWD.US)$ 、 $Roblox(RBLX.US)$ 、 $GE Vernova(GEV.US)$ and $NEBIUS(NBIS.US)$ Inclusion of its 'IVES AI 30' list, while $CyberArk(CYBR.US)$ 、 $C3.ai(AI.US)$ 、 $Adobe(ADBE.US)$ and $Elastic(ESTC.US)$ removing companies from that list.

Companies included in the 'IVES AI 30' list:

CrowdStrike – The Guardian of Security in the AI Era

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives believes that $CrowdStrike(CRWD.US)$ it is in an increasingly advantageous position to capitalize on the AI revolution, driven by the continuous expansion of modules in its core vertical sectors, the ongoing adoption of data protection, and the robust transaction flow of Charlotte AI.

CRWD is an AI-focused cybersecurity company whose core product, the Falcon platform, has been built upon an 'AI and Big Data architecture' since its inception. This platform uses machine learning technology to analyze billions of security events in real-time, accurately identifying network anomalies and enabling rapid responses, while continuously optimizing detection models through a self-learning mechanism. Currently, CRWD is regarded as one of the most mature cases of AI application in the cybersecurity field, with a customer retention rate of up to 98%.

This company not only boasts leading technology but has also experienced real battles—during a major cyber incident, CrowdStrike successfully thwarted the attack within hours, leading to a gradual recovery in its stock price. This year, the stock price soared to a historic high, although it has recently retreated, accumulating an increase of over 22%.

Roblox—A Leader in AI and the Metaverse

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives noted that $Roblox(RBLX.US)$ the platform offers a highly attractive incentive package for developers, while its AI-driven discovery functions are driving increased adoption of the platform, which is expected to lead to stronger monetization performance in the coming quarters.

In the second quarter, Roblox delivered a report that thrilled the market with "high growth and strong monetization": daily active users surpassing 0.1 billion for the first time, a year-on-year surge of 41%, user immersion engagement skyrocketing by 58%, and Roblox extending its reach from gaming into social interactions, virtual events, and digital goods trading, thus enhancing user stickiness and lifetime value. The company's stock performance this year has been remarkable, reaching as high as $150 post earnings release and already doubling within the year.

Behind these impressive indicators is a blockbuster game known by players as the "American version of QQ Farm"—Growa Garden, which has thoroughly ignited the user growth engine. Concurrently, the platform's multi-faceted efforts in algorithm distribution, infrastructure, advertising, and IP licensing have rapidly converted traffic into substantial revenue. Overall, Roblox is indeed in a new phase of comprehensive resurgence, but its sustainability will still depend on the subsequent provision of "metaverse-style" content and the deepening of its diversified revenue growth models.

NiuNiu has previously analyzed Roblox in detail; interested fellow investors can click to view."How Roblox Achieved Its Exponential Growth?"。

GE Vernova—The "NVIDIA" of the Power Equipment Sector

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives stated that as large-scale cloud service providers continue to build data centers, they will continue to benefit from the growing demand for electrification. $GE Vernova(GEV.US)$ GE Vernova is the energy technology company spun off by U.S. industrial giant General Electric, set to be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2024.

The company primarily focuses on three sectors: Power (Gas and Services), Wind (Onshore/Offshore Wind), and Electrification (Electrification and Grid), concentrating on power supply systems and clean energy, aiming to "provide electric power to the world while helping to decarbonize electricity."

In this round of the electricity crisis, GE Vernova has transformed from being the "burden" of General Electric Group to a major winner in the AI wave, with stock growth surpassing that of NVIDIA, reaching an astonishing fourfold increase.

GE Vernova's Q2 2025 financial report is noteworthy; it reported revenues of $1.24 billion, significantly higher than the estimated $0.88 billion. Earnings per share reached $1.86, far exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.50. Additionally, the total order value grew by 12% year-on-year, reaching $12.4 billion, reflecting robust demand growth in areas such as power generation equipment, services, and grid infrastructure.

Backlog orders are a core indicator for assessing the value of electric power stocks and are a key market barometer. In the second quarter, GE Vernova's backlog orders were $128.7 billion, which is about three times its projected revenue for 2024, indicating that the company's business over the next three years is essentially secured.

Moreover, GE Vernova has relevant plans for small modular reactors (SMR), as the company was approved in May this year to deploy its BWRX-300 reactor in Ontario, Canada. According to the company, this will be the first SMR officially under construction and deployment in the Western world.

GE Vernova's CEO anticipates that by the end of this year, more customers will apply to utilize the company’s nuclear technology to construct new SMRs. He noted that customers, especially major data centers and cloud computing giants, show "very high" interest in utilizing GE Vernova's SMRs and are increasingly willing to pay a premium for zero-carbon efficient energy.

The AI wave has injected new momentum into GE Vernova's electrification division. The expansion of data centers not only drives demand for electricity generation but also creates a significant market for stable and efficient power distribution networks.

In the second quarter, the electrification sector performed exceptionally well as a core growth engine: revenue climbed to $2.2 billion, and the EBITDA margin nearly doubled, reaching 14.6%.

It is noteworthy that orders for gas power generation equipment increased to 55 gigawatts, solidifying GEV's leading position in empowering the energy infrastructure of the AI economy.

Analyst Amit Mehrotra from UBS Group forecasts in his report that due to strong profit support from energy demand associated with AI data centers and the longer delivery cycles of equipment, GE Vernova's compound earnings growth rate will reach an astonishing 70% over the next five years, the highest estimate among global publicly listed companies covered by UBS.

However, the currently high price of GEV also brings a certain degree of valuation risk.

NEBIUS—A Rising Star in AI Infrastructure

Wedbush analysts believe that $NEBIUS(NBIS.US)$ strong demand continues to be observed in the AI infrastructure business (which still exceeds supply), and plans are in place to further increase data center capacity in the coming years.

This year, NEBIUS has emerged as a newcomer in the AI infrastructure sector and is one of NVIDIA's six major holdings, with an increase of up to 142% within the year. The company's Q2 revenue reached $0.105 billion, a staggering increase of 625% year-on-year; the annual recurring revenue (ARR) forecast has been raised to between $0.9 billion and $1.1 billion.

According to Caixin Securities, NEBIUS originated from the Russian technology giant Yandex, with operations spanning search, maps, ride-hailing, music, and streaming. Following the geopolitical upheaval of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Yandex underwent a strategic restructuring, distancing itself from the Russian market. In October 2024, Yandex completed the official separation from NEBIUS. The reborn NEBIUS draws on Yandex's AI capabilities and expertise in building hyperscalers to attract numerous talents in AI infrastructure, focusing fully on computing power leasing and entering the global AI infrastructure construction market, providing large-scale GPU computing cluster leasing services along with related development tools.

NEBIUS offers a full-stack AI solution, with Nebius AI Cloud providing various development tools, Nebius AI Studio supporting model testing, and additional services such as data annotation purchase, personnel training, and autonomous driving technology. NEBIUS data centers are located in multiple regions across Europe and America, with a diversified client base consisting of large AI training labs, startups, and internal AI teams within enterprises. NEBIUS's business structure is more complex than that of CoreWeave and reflects a more cautious approach regarding capital expenditures.

Previously, NEBIUS also set ambitious objectives: to double its GPU capacity by the end of 2025, and to increase it fourfold in the medium term, positioning itself as a global leader in AI infrastructure provision. Arkady Volozh, founder and CEO of NBIS, stated in an interview: "Nebius will soon become one of the largest buyers of NVIDIA GPUs in the European Union. We have secured the latest generation processors and all required capacity, and NVIDIA has designated us as a preferred partner."

Companies removed from the 'IVES AI 30' list:

$C3.ai(AI.US)$ : Due to the restructuring of the sales team and the resignation of CEO Thomas Siebel, there has been a significant impact on the company’s financial performance. The Ives team believes its development has encountered a "speed bump," but analysts remain optimistic about its long-term outlook.

$CyberArk(CYBR.US)$ : Because it is set to be acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $25 billion, CyberArk has removed itself from the list. Palo Alto itself is already a component of the IVES AI 30, and this acquisition is expected to further solidify its market position.

$Adobe(ADBE.US)$ : Wedbush noted that Adobe's product line is being disrupted by AI technology, which may affect growth trajectories and free cash flow generation capabilities. Additionally, the company’s AI transformation process has been slower than anticipated.

$Elastic(ESTC.US)$ : Despite increased software and AI spending by the federal government, the company's public sector business still shows signs of slowing down. Analysts maintain an optimistic view, but there are already more promising alternatives among the IVES AI 30.

Overall, advancements in artificial intelligence have become a significant driver of the rise in U.S. stock markets. However, investors should be aware of the risks of overvaluation in certain stocks.