AI is a boon for 3 internet traffic cop stocks. Cramer says only 1 is a buy right now

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Mad Money

Published Thu, Oct 1 20267:04 PM EDT

Key Points

• AI agents are driving a surge in web traffic, creating new growth opportunities for internet infrastructure companies Cloudflare, Akamai and Fastly.
• Cramer says Akamai is the only one he'd buy right now, citing its low valuation and $11.6 billion Anthropic commitment.

CNBC's Jim Cramer said Thursday that the explosion of web traffic from AI agents is creating a new growth opportunity for companies that help keep the internet running smoothly. That also means it's creating money-making opportunities for investors.

"One side effect of the AI revolution is that it's already creating an insane amount of web traffic and somebody needs to help us keep the internet running smoothly," the "Mad Money" host said.

Cloudflare, Akamai Technologies and Fastly operate networks of servers that help manage digital traffic, making websites faster and more reliable. Their role is becoming increasingly important as artificial intelligence agents generate far more web activity. Shares have surged 159% year to date, while Cloudflare has climbed 78% and Akamai has gained 22%. All three have far outperformed the S&P 500's roughly 12% advance over the same stretch.

Cloudflare has emerged as a major beneficiary of that trend. CEO Matthew Prince told Cramer in June that traffic from AI agents had already surpassed human traffic on the company's network. Cramer likes the company, but with the stock trading at roughly 279 times this year's expected earnings, he recommends waiting for a pullback before buying.

"I think you can buy that stock right here, right now," Cramer said. Akamai trades at less than 16 times this year's expected earnings, and he argued investors are "basically getting the latest Anthropic partnership for free."

"For the moment, Akamai's the only one that's cheap enough for me to pound the table on," Cramer said.