After two quarters of steady growth, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock is nearing another important milestone. The Silicon Valley giant helped cement its place in market history when it reached a trillion-dollar market cap in 2018. This year it proved just how much further it could rise, briefly reaching a valuation of $3 trillion. While Apple’s market cap has since dipped, it is close to passing $3 trillion again. More importantly, the artificial intelligence boom is setting the company up to remain a leader among $3 trillion companies permanently.

Apple stands at the forefront of the tech sector’s next revolution, but some of its peers won’t be far behind.

Since the launch of ChatGPT, investors and companies alike have been heavily focused on the market’s newest phase, the AI gold rush. The new tech revolution has already created a wave of market winners, some of which could turn into the next $3 trillion companies in the not-so-distant future.

Let’s dive deeper into the most likely candidates to join Apple in this elite club.

Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)

It’s hard to talk about the world’s leading tech stocks without discussing Google’s parent company. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) is safely in the trillion-dollar club and is quickly approaching the $2 trillion mark.

Given how many markets the company has cornered over the years, it’s remarkable that it isn’t in the $3 trillion club already. However, the AI gold rush is Alphabet’s perfect opportunity.

Google’s Bard chatbot may have gotten off to a rocky start, but investors shouldn’t be fooled. Alphabet is one of the best bets for exposure to the AI market. In fact, as the MIT Technology Review reports, it is incorporating generative AI into most of what it does, from search features to tools that let users write and debug code. 

InvestorPlace contributor Joel Baglole sees Alphabet going beyond a $3 trillion valuation as it rolls out new products and continues its focus on AI. No matter how many hiccups it encounters, investors shouldn’t overlook the vast amount of resources that this company has. Alphabet is an industry-dominating firm that is poised to help usher in the looming economy driven by AI.

Amazon (AMZN)

We all remember when Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) launched the iconic Alexa. That revolutionary device provided an early glimpse into the power of AI. Now, years later, Amazon isn’t slowing down in its efforts to ride the AI wave along with its Big Tech peers.

Amazon dominates the cloud computing market by a significant margin which puts it in an excellent position to continue leveraging AI throughout its products.

Amazon is also focused on developing its own AI language models. It recently acquired Silicon Valley startup Hugging Face to accomplish exactly that. In the meantime, Amazon stands to benefit from the rise of AI in other ways. The e-commerce space could be revolutionized by the ability to better optimize logistics and predict consumer behavior, both of which are possible through new AI tools. If Amazon is able to leverage them, it could shoot straight to the $3 trillion club.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B)

Not all potential $3 trillion companies operate in the AI space. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A, NYSE:BRK-B) is known for being the source of Warren Buffett’s vast wealth. For decades, its success has reflected his expertise and leadership as the multinational conglomerate has withstood severe economic forces. According to recent filings, its portfolio includes stocks such as Apple, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and American Express (NYSE:AXP). Buffett has also been focused on Japanese stocks lately, investments which are likely proving highly profitable as the country enjoys a prosperous economic recovery.

However, stock market holdings aren’t the only thing driving growth for Berkshire Hathaway. The holding company’s additional assets are vast and they are lucrative. As InvestorPlace contributor Charles Munyi reports:

“There are diversified operations in insurance, railroads, energy and utilities. These are competitively advantaged businesses that dominate their respective industries. For instance, the auto insurance company, Geico, has the second-largest U.S. market share after State Farm. Likewise, rail operator BNSF is the largest rail company in terms of revenues in North America. These businesses generated $30.8 billion in operating earnings in fiscal year (FY) 2022.”

BYD Company (BYDDY)

Much of the focus on electric vehicle companies is still on Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). But investors should put some focus on its international rival.

BYD Company (OTCMKTS:BYDDY) is China’s most dominant EV producer and last year, it delivered more vehicles than Tesla. Since then, the Chinese auto giant has demonstrated that it has no intentions of slowing down as it sets its sights on expanding into international markets. In March 2023, it launched three models in Uzbekistan after making moves to gain a footing in valuable European and Southeast Asian markets.

BYD isn’t just focused on producing new energy vehicles, though. Earlier this month, it secured the position of world’s second-largest EV battery producer. Plus, its backers include Warren Buffett. In February 2023, Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger described BYD’s success against Tesla as “almost ridiculous” and ranked the company among his best investment decisions.

Microsoft (MSFT)

If a list includes Apple and Amazon, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) isn’t likely to be far behind. Apple’s chief rival in the personal computing space has also been doubling down on AI recently through both its Bing chatbot and its Azure cloud computing platform. As a longtime tech leader, it makes sense that Microsoft would quickly carve out a niche for itself as one of the primary companies driving AI. As InvestorPlace contributor Marie Brodbeck notes:

“For now, Microsoft is leading in the race to monetize AI thanks to its strategic purchase of a major stake in OpenAI. Artificial intelligence will add significantly to the group’s existing portfolio of services, from its software to cloud-based security. That should drive higher margins down the road as long as the group can navigate the ups and downs that come alongside such a new technology.”

While everyday investors can’t invest directly in OpenAI, purchasing MSFT stock may be the best way to gain exposure. But Microsoft isn’t just a winner among AI stocks. The company counts digital news venue MSN among its holdings, which serves as a powerful content aggregator for prominent media sources. This further supports the case that it belongs among potential $3 trillion companies.

Nvidia (NVDA)

This Silicon Valley darling is by far the tech sector’s breakout stock of the year. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) has soared past the trillion-dollar mark in 2023.

Now the chip maker is poised for significant growth as the AI boom creates high demand for the graphic processing units (GPUs) it provides, something the tech sector can’t do without. To say that Nvidia dominates the GPU market is an understatement. In 2022, its gaming tech division saw profits of $9 million even in the face of an economic downturn.

Now the AI gold rush is taking NVDA stock to new heights. The company’s lofty valuation has made some investors nervous. However, Nvidia has the type of potential that no one should ignore, even as shares prices continue rising. It’s also worth noting that it reportedly makes the chips that power ChatGPT. That should also provide a powerful incentive for investors seeking exposure to the booming AI market.

Nvidia has already reached a $1 trillion market cap and there’s no reason it can’t reach $3 trillion if this type of growth continues.

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)

As the AI boom has engulfed markets in 2023, investors have already begun the search for the next Nvidia. One of the names consistently discussed in that context is Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM), a company that is truly a global leader among chipmakers. This international chip manufacturing giant has an impressive client list that includes names such as Nvidia and Apple. It has been well established that demand for semiconductors isn’t going away anytime soon. Thankfully, Taiwan Semiconductor recently announced the opening of a new facility to help meet rising demand, sending shares up.

Shares are up 38% year to date and are likely to keep surging as the AI gold rush creates more demand for TSMC products. As the primary supplier of the tech that powers the AI revolution, TSM provides investors with a valuable opportunity to gain exposure at a lower price point than many of its larger cap peers.

On the date of publication, Samuel O’Brient did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.