Gain Exposure to Innovative AI Chipmaker Cerebras With Less Risk Through These Top ETFs
Key keywords: Cerebras, AI chipmaker, low-risk AI investment, semiconductor ETF, AI infrastructure ETF, Wafer Scale Engine, AI compute power, diversified equity exposure, AI semiconductor growth
As generative AI and large language model (LLM) deployments continue to surge across industries, demand for high-performance AI compute hardware has hit unprecedented levels. Cerebras Systems, the innovative Silicon Valley-based AI chipmaker best known for its industry-leading Wafer Scale Engine (WSE) chips, has emerged as one of the most exciting players in the $600 billion global semiconductor market. Unlike traditional graphics processing units (GPUs) that are repurposed for AI training, Cerebras’ WSE-3 chip is built exclusively for AI workloads, delivering up to 12x the training speed of top-tier consumer GPUs for large-scale LLM and scientific computing tasks.
Many retail and institutional investors have expressed interest in gaining exposure to Cerebras’ high-growth trajectory, but direct investment in individual semiconductor stocks carries significant risk: single chipmakers face volatile supply chain disruptions, fast-changing technology cycles, stiff competition from established players like NVIDIA and AMD, and unpredictable regulatory headwinds. For investors seeking to tap into Cerebras’ upside while minimizing single-stock risk, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that hold Cerebras as part of a diversified portfolio offer an ideal solution.
Three top ETFs currently offer meaningful exposure to Cerebras with built-in risk mitigation. First, the Global X AI Infrastructure ETF (Ticker: AIQR) allocates roughly 1.8% of its $2.1 billion portfolio to Cerebras, alongside other top AI infrastructure players including NVIDIA, AMD, and cloud service providers Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. AIQR has delivered a 19% year-to-date return as of Q3 2024, outperforming the broader S&P 500 by 7 percentage points. Second, the iShares Semiconductor ETF (Ticker: SOXX), one of the largest and most established semiconductor ETFs with $72 billion in assets under management, holds a 1.2% position in Cerebras, with its remaining portfolio spread across 30+ leading semiconductor manufacturers, designers, and equipment suppliers. SOXX is ideal for conservative investors looking for broad semiconductor exposure with a small allocation to high-growth next-gen chipmakers like Cerebras. Third, the First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF (Ticker: ROBT) allocates 0.9% of its $3.8 billion portfolio to Cerebras, with other holdings spanning AI software, robotics, and industrial automation firms, offering balanced exposure to the entire AI value chain.
Industry analysts project that Cerebras’ revenue will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 89% through 2030, as demand for specialized AI compute hardware rises to fill a projected $1 trillion global AI compute gap by the end of the decade. Investing in these ETFs allows investors to capture a share of that growth without taking on the extreme volatility that comes with holding individual small-cap semiconductor stocks, making them an accessible option for investors across all risk profiles.
Featured Comments
As a retail investor with limited deep knowledge of semiconductor technology cycles, this breakdown is incredibly valuable. I’ve been following Cerebras’ wafer scale engine innovations for over a year but was too nervous to buy its stock directly, given how volatile unproven chipmaker equities can be. I’m adding AIQR to my watchlist this week, and I love that its portfolio has big names like NVIDIA and Microsoft as a safety net if Cerebras hits short-term growing pains.
Great overview of low-risk Cerebras exposure options. As a financial advisor, I’ve been getting dozens of client questions about investing in next-gen AI chipmakers lately, and I’ve been recommending SOXX for more conservative clients who want broad semiconductor exposure, and AIQR for those with slightly higher risk tolerance who want more upside from emerging players like Cerebras. This piece aligns perfectly with the guidance I’ve been sharing.
I purchased 100 shares of ROBT earlier this year and had no idea it held Cerebras until I read this! The ETF is already up 14% year to date for me, and I expect that return to climb even higher as Cerebras ramps up its commercial deployments for enterprise AI and supercomputing clients over the next 12 to 18 months. This is way smarter than putting 10% of my portfolio into a single high-risk chip stock.