Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the global technology landscape, driving a new wave of enterprise software spending. Businesses across industries ranging from manufacturing and healthcare to retail and financial services are accelerating investments in generative AI, large language models (LLMs), AI agents, intelligent automation, cloud platforms, and data analytics to improve productivity, enhance customer experiences, and streamline operations.
The AI boom is benefiting a broad range of software companies, including Arista Networks ANET, Unity Software U, HubSpot HUBS and Samsara IOT, which are integrating AI into their platforms to enhance product capabilities, improve customer outcomes and strengthen competitive positioning.
Before discussing the stocks in detail, let’s dig deeper into the trends.
Software Companies Gain From Rising Enterprise AI Spending
Software companies are benefiting from strong AI adoption by embedding intelligent copilots and automated agents into existing platforms, shifting from basic subscription models to consumption-based pricing. They are also using AI to dramatically accelerate their software development life cycles while expanding their data infrastructure capabilities to meet rising enterprise demands.
Continued strength of AI-driven software spending has been a key catalyst. Businesses are increasingly adopting solutions such as voice recognition, telehealth platforms, learning management systems, infrastructure monitoring software and spend management tools. Collaboration platforms, communication software and online education services are also seeing steady demand as workplaces and learning environments continue to evolve.
The pace of AI investment continues to accelerate. Gartner forecasts worldwide AI spending to reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, up 47% year over year, driven by higher investments in AI infrastructure, cloud services and enterprise software. It also expects end-user spending on AI models and platforms to reach $64 billion in 2026, up 63.4% from $39 billion in 2025. Spending on generative AI models is expected to surge 117%, while AI platform spending is projected to increase 36.9% in 2026. The growing adoption of AI-powered applications is creating significant opportunities for software companies that offer AI-enabled platforms and solutions.
Another major trend is the rise of Agentic AI. Software vendors are adopting usage-based AI pricing models, accelerating software development with AI coding tools and strengthening AI governance and compliance capabilities. The demand for multi-cloud interoperability is increasing, allowing enterprises to connect AI models and business systems seamlessly. These trends are positioning leading software companies to benefit from expanding AI adoption over the long term.
Our Picks
Unity Software is benefiting significantly from the expanding adoption of AI across the interactive content industry. Unity’s AI-driven products, such as Vector and Unity AI, are accelerating game development, enhancing personalization and driving both user and creator growth. With 90% of game developers already using AI in their workflows and new Unity sign-ups up 20% quarter-over-quarter, Unity is positioned at the center of this transformation. In the first quarter of 2026, Strategic revenues grew 35% year over year, and AI-powered tools are driving both user and creator growth.
This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company’s Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.03 per share, which has been unchanged over the past 30 days. This represents 19.77% year-over-year growth. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Unity Software Inc. Price and Consensus
Unity Software Inc. price-consensus-chart | Unity Software Inc. Quote
HubSpot is benefiting significantly from expanding AI adoption, positioning the company for further upside. In the first quarter of 2026, the company highlighted that HubSpot’s AI-first strategy is translating into measurable growth, with AI-driven products like Customer Agent, Prospecting Agent and Data Agent seeing rapid adoption and usage. Active core seat users grew 90% year over year, and credit consumption for AI features surged 67% quarter over quarter. Customers are integrating AI into daily workflows, driving real outcomes such as improved CRM accuracy and higher support resolution rates.
This Zacks Rank #1 company’s Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $13.11 per share, which has been unchanged over the past 30 days. This represents 35.15% year-over-year growth.
HubSpot, Inc. Price and Consensus
HubSpot, Inc. price-consensus-chart | HubSpot, Inc. Quote
Arista Networks is benefiting from the accelerating adoption of AI, which is driving unprecedented demand for high-speed networking solutions. In the first quarter of 2026, Arista Networks achieved the #1 market share in high-speed switching above 10-gigabit Ethernet, largely due to its robust cloud and AI networking strategy. With more than 100 customers deploying 800-gigabit Ethernet and a raised AI revenue target to $3.5 billion for 2026, Arista’s innovative products like the Etherlink portfolio and XPO optics are driving growth.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.64 per share, which has increased by a penny over the past 30 days. This represents 22.15% year-over-year growth.
Arista Networks, Inc. Price and Consensus
Arista Networks, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Arista Networks, Inc. Quote
Samsara is benefiting from the expanding adoption of AI across the physical economy, positioning itself for further upside. As AI transitions from digital to physical applications, Samsara’s Connected Operations Platform leverages IoT hardware and AI to deliver real-time insights and automate workflows for asset-heavy industries. Customers are increasingly adopting AI-driven solutions like video-based safety, Waste Intelligence and Ground Intelligence, which help reduce costs, improve safety and boost operational efficiency. With more than $2 billion in ARR and strong growth in large customer segments, Samsara’s focus on operational AI and emerging products is driving durable, scalable growth.
This Zacks Rank #2 company’s Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at 75 cents per share, which has been unchanged over the past 30 days. This represents 33.93% year-over-year growth.
Samsara Inc. Price and Consensus
Samsara Inc. price-consensus-chart | Samsara Inc. Quote
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Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).