Palantir Technologies(NASDAQ: PLTR) has grown into one of the biggest names in artificial intelligence (AI), with a market cap of around $445 billion. But these three promising companies could exceed it over the next five years: Celestica(NYSE: CLS), CrowdStrike(NASDAQ: CRWD), and AppLovin(NASDAQ: APP).
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AI data center networking could drive Celestica's growth
Throughout the AI data center build-out, chip companies and cloud providers have gotten the lion's share of the attention. But those gigantic server clusters need more than just powerful processors and copious amounts of memory. They also require better networking hardware to move information between processors, as well as better cooling systems and more efficient racks, especially as AI systems become more complex. Those are the niches Celestica competes in, and the company's latest results show that demand is accelerating.
Celestica delivered its third-quarter results on Oct. 26, reporting revenue growth of 83% year over year and raised its full-year outlook. Looking ahead, management's 2027 outlook suggests continued growth, supported by stronger demand from major cloud customers and AI developers.
That means Celestica could eventually become more valuable than Palantir if the AI data center build-out continues expanding and the company can capture a meaningful share of that spending. Currently, its guiding for 90% revenue growth in 2027.
But to exceed Palantir's current size, Celestica would need to grow its market cap 13-fold. Meanwhile, the risk is that AI spending could weaken, supply chain issues could hurt revenue, and the company's customer concentration could cause problems down the road.
AI cybersecurity could become a major opportunity for CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike's opportunity isn't limited to traditional cybersecurity. As malicious actors use AI to power more sophisticated cyberattacks, the company could become a major security-layer provider for addressing AI-related threats.
Demand for that type of protection is already driving meaningful growth. In its 2027 fiscal second quarter, CrowdStrike reported annual recurring revenue (ARR) of around $5.8 billion, up 25% year over year, and raised its full-year net new ARR growth outlook.
It also introduced Falcon Guardian to help secure AI agents, and announced collaborations with OpenAI and Anthropic. On top of that, it has been developing security capabilities for organizations that build and run AI applications.
Over the next five years, continued adoption of AI could expand CrowdStrike's total addressable market significantly. If it maintains its market position and convinces more customers to use its Falcon platform to manage AI-related security risks, the company could become worth much more than Palantir.
Its ability to sustain 25% ARR growth will be key to that premise, since it would take about 1.8-fold market cap growth to reach Palantir's current size.
That said, the company faces intense competition from established cybersecurity providers. On top of that, any major security incident that gets through its defenses could damage its reputation.
AI is helping AppLovin reshape digital advertising
AppLovin's digital advertising technology helps companies connect with potential customers through its AI-powered advertising platform, Axon. By using AI to improve ad targeting and campaigns, the company aims to help advertisers get better results on their budgets.
Beyond that, the company is investing heavily in Axon while expanding into new markets like e-commerce and connected television. It also discussed making its platform accessible to AI agents, potentially allowing advertisers to automate campaigns.
This strategy is already driving results.
In the second quarter of 2026, AppLovin reported revenue growth of 53% and net income growth of 55%.
Over the next five years, the rise of automated advertising and expansion into new customer categories give AppLovin more avenues for growth. If its technology continues to outperform traditional advertising, the company could capture a larger share of digital ad spending. If these trends accelerate, AppLovin could become more valuable than Palantir.
AppLovin's 55% net income growth would helps, but catching Palantir would require about a 5.5-fold increase in market cap, and getting there would require the company to contend with competition from peers investing in similar AI capabilities.
Could these three stocks surpass Palantir?
Celestica, CrowdStrike, and AppLovin offer investors three differentiated ways to gain exposure to the AI megatrend, from infrastructure and cybersecurity to digital advertising. Palantir's market cap is about 13 times Celestica's, 1.8 times CrowdStrike's, and 5.5 times AppLovin's.
CrowdStrike looks like it has the best chance to equal Palantir, while Celestica is the greatest long shot. However, if these businesses keep growing and successfully execute their ambitious plans, they could be worth considerably more than Palantir five years from now. And even if they don't, their long-term potential could still reward patient investors.
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Rick Orford has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Celestica, CrowdStrike, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
Prediction: 3 Stocks That Will Be Worth More Than Palantir 5 Years From Now was originally published by The Motley Fool
