For most people, the early stages of the artificial intelligence (AI) rollout have involved asking chatbots questions.

While that might seem like a fairly simple use case for the technology, those first forays into AI have been important because they've set the stage for what comes next -- a level of AI that doesn't just answer questions, but turns people's requests into actions performed by AI agents. And that phase of the technology will open a new wave of investable opportunities.

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So, for example, you'll be able to go beyond just asking a chatbot to find the best auto mechanic in your area. At your request, your AI agent will find them and book you an appointment to see why your car's check engine light keeps coming on.

While the AI agent market globally is still relatively small -- it was valued at only $5.2 billion in 2024 -- the researchers at MarketsandMarkets project that it will be valued at $52.6 billion by 2030. That's roughly a 10x climb in just six years.

There are many avenues to invest in this market, but there's also an obvious choice.

Any time a new market force like AI emerges, some companies try to reframe their identities around the trend to capitalize on that growing attention.

Others don't have to play such games because they really are at the heart of the market. And in the case of everything AI, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is one of those select few companies. It's not the only parallel processor designer in town, but as the maker of some of the most advanced chips, most roads still flow through the company.

That makes it a clear candidate to benefit from the rising wave of AI agents.

On Monday, Nvidia announced it was "teaming with partners to ignite the next era of AI with open source software for autonomous, self-evolving enterprise AI agents -- increasing agent safety, security and efficiency -- to speed a generational shift in software and knowledge work."

"Employees will be supercharged by teams of frontier, specialized and custom-built agents they deploy and manage. The enterprise software industry will evolve into specialized agentic platforms, and the IT industry is on the brink of its next great expansion," CEO Jensen Huang said in the press release.

Its Agent Toolkit includes several open-source models and blueprints for developers to create customized AI agents, as well as tools for security and network guardrails.

Adobe, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Palantir, and Salesforce are just a few of the high-profile names Nvidia says use its Agent Toolkit software.

As more companies look to build out AI agents and set up guardrails around them, Nvidia will be in pole position to capitalize on this market's growth.

Nvidia might seem like too obvious an investment in this case, as its shares have soared over 1,300% over the past five years.

That may lead some investors to shun Nvidia and instead invest in smaller, unproven AI companies that claim they will be significant players in the agentic AI market. Long-term winners can certainly emerge from among the ranks of companies that are on the more speculative side today, but there are also benefits to investing in an established leader.

With Nvidia, investors won't have to wait years to find out if the CEO's vision will pay off. In 2025, Nvidia recorded net income of $72.8 billion, a 145% increase from the $29.7 billion it reported in 2024. As the AI agent market grows, it should add to demand for the chip giant's wares, pushing its bottom line even higher.

Nvidia's profitability makes it particularly attractive in a tech market where so many participants are booking losses and being valued based on the promise of future profits. In addition, Nvidia's forward price-to-earnings ratio of 22.8 is relatively inexpensive compared to where it has traded over the last several quarters.

The only real "catch" with Nvidia is that it has become, in some ways, a victim of its own success. Thanks to its track record of regularly exceeding expectations, it has become increasingly difficult for it to impress the markets with its quarterly results.

That will lead to continued stock price volatility, and Nvidia's 2.38 beta means it's more than twice as volatile as the broader market.

While some investors may still prefer to buy shares of less-established companies with more upside potential in the growing AI agent market, Nvidia is already leading the charge, and can be expected to keep leading it.

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Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction: The Agentic AI Market Could Grow 10X by 2030. This Stock Is Leading the Charge. was originally published by The Motley Fool