Palantir Technologies surged nearly 30 percent Tuesday after a blowout second-quarter earnings beat, while Arm Holdings added 17 percent on its own quarterly outperformance, lifting the SOXX semiconductor ETF 6.8 percent and pushing the S&P 500 to its first record close in two months. The Nasdaq Composite gained 2.59 percent to 26,585, capping one of the broadest AI chip stocks rallies of 2026; only three names in our 35-ticker universe closed lower.
Top AI stocks today: August 4, 2026
| Ticker | Close | Day | 1mo | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $PLTR | $162.66 | +29.45% | +21.05% | -3.10% |
| $ARM | $280.56 | +17.36% | -6.61% | +144.54% |
| $OUST | $47.84 | +12.62% | +8.58% | +104.71% |
| $INTC | $100.86 | +10.84% | -8.63% | +156.12% |
| $SMCI | $31.69 | +10.65% | +20.72% | +2.36% |
| $AMZN | $277.42 | -2.32% | +12.78% | +22.48% |
| $BIDU | $112.58 | -0.42% | +0.44% | -25.10% |
| $META | $587.94 | -0.39% | -4.49% | -9.60% |
Palantir soars 29% on record quarterly earnings
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) reported Q2 2026 EPS of $0.41 versus the $0.33 consensus on revenue of $1.94 billion, beating the $1.80 billion estimate by nearly 8 percent, according to CNBC. U.S. commercial revenue surged 149 percent year over year to $764 million, and the company raised its full-year U.S. commercial revenue guide to "in excess of" $3.42 billion from $3.22 billion. Net income hit $1.07 billion for the quarter. Shares had already gapped 12 percent in after-hours Monday, then extended through Tuesday on volume of 172 million shares, more than five times the 30-day average. Eight consecutive quarterly beats and a widening AI Platform commercial funnel make PLTR one of the strongest best-AI-stocks-to-buy cases in the software layer of this cycle.
ARM Holdings jumps 17% on AI data center royalties and upgraded guidance
Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARM) beat Q1 fiscal 2027 estimates with EPS of $0.45 (consensus: $0.37) and revenue of $1.29 billion (consensus: $1.27 billion), then guided Q2 FY27 EPS to $0.47 versus the $0.43 forecast and revenue to $1.38 billion versus $1.34 billion, per FX Leaders. AI and data center chip market share gains drove the beat, with the Armv9 architecture transition lifting royalty rates and widening gross margins even as smartphone demand remains soft. At $280.56 and up 144 percent year-to-date, ARM is one of the top AI chip stocks to watch for investors who want CPU and GPU core licensing exposure inside every AI accelerator without owning a fab.
Intel clears $100 as semiconductor turnaround narrative firms
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) gained 10.8 percent to $100.86, clearing triple digits for the first time in months. TradingKey reported that Intel''s "ability to meet critical milestones in next-generation process nodes has shifted the narrative from a struggle for relevance to a demonstration of manufacturing leadership," a framing that drove institutional re-rating across semi-equipment names as well, with Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX) up 7.9 percent and Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) up 5.5 percent on the session. INTC is up 156 percent year-to-date, making it one of the top 2026 AI stocks by return in the large-cap chip group. StartupHub.ai data shows that across the 65 active AI hardware startups we track, 17 have raised fresh capital in 2026 alone, a private-market conviction rate that is now amplifying today''s public-market sweep in AI infrastructure stocks.
Notable but quieter
Super Micro Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) gained 10.7 percent to $31.69; the AI server maker closed a Bloomberg-confirmed $7 billion equity deal in June to fund surging GPU-server orders, and Tuesday''s move reflects that infrastructure spending cycle still accelerating. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) rose 7.0 percent to $518.58 ahead of its Q2 2026 earnings report due after the close; Kiplinger noted consensus expected better guidance on MI350 GPU data center demand. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) added 8.9 percent, extending its 265 percent year-to-date advance on AI server backlog. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) gained 6.6 percent on custom ASIC demand from hyperscaler training clusters. Ouster Inc. (NASDAQ: OUST) extended its five-day surge to 52.8 percent on momentum, adding 12.6 percent with no specific catalyst. Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) climbed 7.6 percent to $892.67 as the HBM memory supercycle narrative remained intact.