Blake Shaw Bets on AI Chip Boom, NVIDIA Gains Drive Tech Portfolio to +38% Return
In 2023, as generative artificial intelligence entered a full-blown breakout phase, AI chips became the centerpiece of technology investing. Veteran trading expert Blake Shaw quickly recognized the capital markets’ shift toward this technological revolution, significantly increasing his exposure to AI chip leaders such as NVIDIA. He built a “high-performance computing + data center” focused portfolio around compute infrastructure, delivering a +38% return in the tech segment from Q2 onward—far outpacing the NASDAQ Composite over the same period.
As early as the beginning of 2023, Shaw stated: “AI is not just an application-layer opportunity—it’s a fundamental compute power race.” He emphasized that model training and inference were driving exponential demand for high-performance GPUs and AI accelerators, setting the stage for both earnings and valuation expansions in related companies. Acting on this forward-looking thesis, Shaw began systematically increasing his AI chip exposure in February and completed core positions before NVIDIA’s blowout Q2 earnings release in May.
NVIDIA emerged as the top performer in his portfolio. In Q2 2023, the company reported a 171% year-over-year increase in data center revenue, hitting an all-time high and fueling a 220% year-to-date surge in its stock price. Shaw’s concentrated positioning ahead of critical inflection points allowed him to fully capture this structural rally. He also strategically allocated to key upstream players such as AMD, TSMC, and Marvell, forming a complete investment chain across the AI hardware ecosystem.
Despite the sector’s high volatility, Shaw adhered to his consistent risk management principles. No single equity position in his tech portfolio exceeded 15% allocation, and he employed ETF hedges and volatility-based strategies to mitigate systemic risk. For instance, around NVIDIA’s earnings announcement, he used SOX VIX options to execute protective hedges, keeping portfolio fluctuations within a controlled range amid event-driven uncertainty.
This “bottom-up + trend-aligned” investment framework has yielded consistent excess returns for Shaw in recent years. By mid-2023, his technology-themed portfolio posted a +38% year-to-date gain, with AI chips and data centers accounting for over 60% of total exposure—making them the primary contributors to performance. At the same time, the portfolio demonstrated strong drawdown control during key market pullbacks, once again earning industry recognition for robust risk discipline.
Beyond headline names, Shaw views the AI chip race not as a zero-sum game, but as a global, collaborative, and system-wide opportunity across the supply chain. He is actively tracking emerging AI chip design firms in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, while also exploring secondary beneficiaries such as GPU cloud services and AI server cooling technologies, aiming to identify new growth frontiers over the next one to two years.
Looking ahead, Shaw believes the AI sector will continue to attract attention, but investment strategies must transition from “theme speculation” to “earnings delivery.” He plans to further optimize his portfolio structure, lock in partial gains when appropriate, and increase exposure to adjacent themes such as domestic AI chip alternatives and edge computing, ensuring the portfolio remains both growth-oriented and resilient to volatility.
At this pivotal moment when AI is reshaping the industrial landscape, Blake Shaw once again offers investors a clear, conviction-driven roadmap—built on sharp insight, systematic positioning, and rigorous risk control—for navigating uncertainty and unlocking long-term returns.