PEX Network’s key takeaways:
- Gartner has identified the ‘companies to beat’ in the artificial intelligence (AI) vendor race.
- Google, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, and OpenAI are leading the AI vendor race in respective areas.
- Gartner analysts considered a variety of data and information sources.
As the AI vendor race heats up, analyst giant Gartner has identified the ‘companies to beat’ in nearly 30 AI technology areas.
The companies to beat in the AI vendor race segments are broken into five categories: data and infrastructure, model and agentic, cybersecurity, solutions, and industry.
“The company to beat is determined by a methodology based on, but not limited to, six key criteria that differentiate top vendors in the space: technical capabilities, customer implementations, potential customer base, business model, key partnerships, and the broader surrounding ecosystem,” said Anthony Bradley, group VP at Gartner.
AI is playing a key role in modern business transformation. In the PEX Report 2025/26, almost three-quarters (70 percent) of surveyed professionals said that AI is either “critical” or “very important” to their organization’s strategic goals, with 48 percent of surveyed prioritizing AI adoption in the coming year.
Organizations are using a variety of AI types, the survey found. Almost two-thirds (63 percent) use generative AI, with 62 percent using standard/traditional AI and 40 percent using AI agents/agentic AI.
5 categories of companies to beat in the AI vendor race
- Data and infrastructure, including leaders in AI data platforms, custom AI silicon, and enterprise AI infrastructure services.
- Model and agentic, including leaders in agentic AI platforms, autonomous software engineering agents, and AI large language models (LLMs).
- Cybersecurity, including leaders in AI security platforms, deepfake detection, and AI-powered advanced cyber deception.
- Solutions, including leaders in CRM AI, earth intelligence, and enterprise-wide AI.
- Industry, including leaders in manufacturing AI, AI in healthcare providers, and AI in telecom mobile and networks.
“An assessment is performed by teams of expert analysts who analyze Gartner market data and collaborate to establish Gartner’s opinions,” said Bradley. “Analysts consider a variety of data and information sources, including, but not limited to, interactions with end-users and vendors, peer review, public data, Gartner proprietary data, and analysts’ own explorations on the market,” Bradley added.
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Google, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, and OpenAI lead the AI race
Google, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, and OpenAI are leading the AI vendor race in respective areas, according to Gartner.
Google’s integrated AI agent tech stack (spanning advanced reasoning models, protocols, and infrastructure), scalable enterprise adoption support, and use of Google DeepMind to invest in key AI disruptors make it the company to beat in enterprise agentic AI because it outpaces competition in vision and innovation.
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks’ broad security portfolio, acquisition strategy, extensive installed base, and robust distribution channels make it the company to beat in the AI security platforms race. Palo Alto Networks has positioned itself as a significant contributor of AI security research by uniquely combining deep in-house expertise with crowdsourced and open-source avenues.
Microsoft
Microsoft’s partner and platform ecosystem, control of enterprise work surfaces, ability to capture enterprise data, extensible AI tools, and the Microsoft Agent 365 governance platform make it the company to beat in enterprise-wide AI. The firm’s extensive presence across enterprise applications and infrastructures allows it to more easily integrate AI across clients’ back and front end.
OpenAI
OpenAI is the frontrunner in cutting-edge LLM model research, building on the momentum established by being first to market in the LLM-enabled AI race and focusing on reasoning and agentic AI development, thereby making it the company to beat in LLM providers. OpenAI LLMs’ impact is enhanced by an unprecedented demand and adoption curve in its flagship consumer-based application, ChatGPT, with API access directly through OpenAI and Microsoft Azure cloud.