Semiconductor makers like Nvidia defined the first wave of the artificial intelligence boom. But a set of recent market commentaries argues the next round of gains may show up well outside the chip aisle.
According to 24/7 Wall St., "The AI Boom Is Expanding Beyond Chips," and the outlet points to three exchange-traded funds (ETFs) it says could be the next winners. A summary of the piece carried by AOL frames the idea bluntly: chipmakers "grabbed the spotlight during AI's first wave, but the real money in the next phase may flow somewhere most investors are not looking yet." The ETFs highlighted target areas including cloud computing and cybersecurity.
The reasoning is that AI does not run on chips alone. The systems need cloud infrastructure to operate at scale, and as more sensitive data and automated tools come online, they need security to protect them. ETFs bundle many companies in a given theme into a single tradable fund, which is one way investors try to bet on a trend without picking a single stock.
A separate line of coverage takes aim at investors who feel late to the rally. In articles published by The Globe and Mail and Yahoo Finance, both headlined "Missed Out on Nvidia's Historic Run? These 2 Tech Winners Are Just Getting Started," the pitch is that other technology names may still have room to run even after Nvidia's climb.
A caution worth keeping in mind: these are opinion and analysis pieces built around investment ideas, not guarantees, and none of the sources here provide specific price targets or returns.
Why it matters: if the AI story is broadening from the companies that make chips to the ones that host, connect, and secure AI systems, it signals that the technology is moving from hype toward everyday infrastructure — and reshaping where investors look next.