Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTGeoffrey Seiler, The Motley FoolSat, July 18, 2026 at 6:21 PM GMT+2 4 min readWith the rise of agentic AI, the number of central processing units (CPUs) used within AI data centers is set to explode. While graphics processing units (GPUs) are good at providing raw computing power, CPUs act more like the brains of the operation and can handle the sequential reasoning that lets AI agents stop and think before they act. As a result, the GPU-to-CPU ratio is expected to go from 8-to-1 for training, down to 4-to-1 for inference, and to 1-to-1 for AI agents.With Nvidia predicting this could become a $200 billion market in the next few years, Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD), Arm Holdings (NASDAQ: ARM), and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) are all set to benefit. Let's see which one of those three looks like the best agentic AI stock to buy.Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »Image source: The Motley Fool.AMDAMD is a leader in the data center CPU space, having consistently taken share away from Intel over the past few years. The company has strong technology and has developed high-core CPUs designed specifically for agentic AI. Cores act like individual workstations, and packing more cores into a CPU is like giving the chip a large workforce to help power autonomous AI agents. Its new Venice architecture, set to debut soon, utilizes up to 256 cores, making it ideal for agentic AI.In addition to its agentic AI opportunity with its CPUs, AMD is also benefiting from the surging inference market with its GPUs. Its acquisition of memory optimization company MEXT, whose chiplet design allows it to be packaged with more memory, positions AMD well in the inference market, and it already has two massive deals in place with OpenAI and Meta Platforms. IntelIntel has been one of the hottest stocks in the market over the past year, up around 323%. This largely stems from its data center CPU opportunity. While the company has arguably ceded its technological leadership in the space, data center CPU demand is so high that it has been a big boost to the company. And with supply generally tight, it has been able to increase CPU prices, which should help boost both its revenue and gross margin.That said, Intel's larger computer chip business has been somewhat stagnant, and higher component prices (not just CPUs but also memory) could eventually hurt PC sales. Its foundry business also continues to struggle with losses. Intel was once a cheap stock based on the value of its physical assets, but that is no longer the case, given its huge surge over the past year.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info