Don’t Want to Buy CBRS Directly? 4 Types of US ETFs to Gain Indirect Exposure

TradingKey - On May 14, 2026, Cerebras Systems (CBRS), an AI chip competitor on Nasdaq, closed after gaining 68%, and exceeded intra-day fluctuations of greater than 100%. To buy shares of CBRS will require a US brokerage account, transferring funds, and the ability to withstand very volatile single stock returns.

The use of an ETF provides indirect exposure to companies in the AI Chip sector, allowing you an avenue for risk diversification while still having access to the greater theme of AI Chip stocks. Currently, there are four categories of registered US ETF available as of May 15, 2026 that provide equity exposure to your investments in CBRS or other semiconductor companies operating in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem.

Active AI ETFs – Already Holding CBRS (ARKK / ARKW)

ARK Invest has purchased CBRS on the very first day of trading; their two ETFs (ARKK & ARKW) purchased about 105,616 shares of CBRS with a total value of approximately $4.85 million. These two ETFs represent the only significant U.S. ETFs with a direct investment into CBRS.

Both of these actively managed ETFs are focused on investing in disruption. When investing in these ETFs, you are purchasing CBRS (along with many other innovative companies like Tesla, Roku, etc.) as a way to minimize your exposure to individual companies. This is a good investment strategy for long-term investors that believe in the artificial intelligence ("AI") theme and are comfortable being invested in a managed portfolio.

Note: Active ETFs typically have higher fees (ARKK has a 0.75% fee) and their investments can change frequently

Semiconductor Sector ETFs – Awaiting CBRS Inclusion (SOXX / SMH)

Currently not part of any of the major semiconductor indices. CBRS has a market cap of approximately $67 billion and analysts believe it will be list in the upcoming quarterly rebalances (March, June, September, and December).

The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) allocates a significant percentage of its portfolio towards AI leaders; the top 3 being NVIDIA (8.40%), Broadcom (8.27%) and AMD (6.47%). The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) has an even larger weighting for NVIDIA (16.33%) and also includes TSMC (10.25%), Intel (7.75%) and AMD (6.76%) in its top 5 holdings.

Both SMH and SOXX have low expense ratios (SMH 0.35%, SOXX 0.40%) and when CBRS is added to the underlying index they will automatically purchase shares of CBRS — therefore eliminating any timing risk for your entry. Furthermore, these ETFs provide diversified exposure to the entire AI chip ecosystem allowing you to invest in multiple companies rather than taking a position on one winner. Thus they are well suited for medium- to long-term investors looking to take advantage of the semiconductor trend.

Leveraged ETFs – Short‑Term Trading Tools (CBRG / SCBR)

On May 15, 2026, Leverage Shares introduced two new leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) only 24 hours after the IPO of their underlying investment, CBRS. The CBRG ETF gives investors the opportunity to gain 2x daily long exposure to the CBRS security. The SCBR ETF allows investors to gain 2x daily short exposure. Both have an expense ratio of 0.75%.

The CBRG and SCBR ETFs are suitable for intraday and very short-term (1-3 days) trades when investors believe they have a clear directional view of the price of CBRS.

The primary risk of holding leveraged ETFs is the effects of leverage decay: because leveraged ETFs are rebalanced on an ongoing basis, they will experience a loss of return due to volatility drag in choppy markets; any long-term holding will give returns that will be materially different from the 2x targeted return of leveraged ETFs. Therefore, you should never hold these ETFs for more than a few days. They are intended for short-term speculation, not long-term investing.

Physical AI ETF – AI Moving from Virtual to Real World (WDRN)

WisdomTree launches a new ETF (WDRN) that will invest in humanoid robots, drones, autonomous driving, and AI-enabled manufacturing systems. The expense ratio of the ETF is 0.45%.

Although WDRN does not currently hold CBRS shares, it is directly aligned with the investment theme of Cerebras' technology. Cerebras' wafer-scale chip enables ultra-low latency for AI inference, a vital requirement for robotics and autonomous vehicles. Therefore, WDRN represents the long-term trend of "AI becoming physical" and is a logical extension of the CBRS story.

WDRN is suitable for long-term (3 years or more) investors who are comfortable with the short track record of a newly created ETF and want to gain access to new generation AI applications.

Quick Comparison of the Four ETF Types

Summarizing the main differences among AI ETFs as your assistance, it helps you make the decision. 

ARKK & ARKW - Active ETFs have already begun to include CBRS for investment purposes and therefore, they are good for holding long term (>1 year) and have the greatest risk of potential losses due to increased management fees and high degree of turnover by active managers.

SOXX & SMH - Semiconductor ETFs do not currently hold CBRS but may eventually include them for investment purposes. Therefore, these ETFs are better suited for mid- to long-term (6 months - 1-year) investors and provide greater diversification with respect to sector investments but the biggest risk is the unknown date of their inclusion into the respective ETFs.

CBRG & SCBR - These leveraged ETFs provide 2x daily leverage on their investments in CBRS and therefore, are intended to be used primarily for short term trading (1-3days) while allowing investors to bet long or short. Therefore, there is a significant risk associated with leveraged decay and potential liquidation of leveraged ETF holdings, and they should never be bought and held for long periods of time.

WDRN - This physical AI ETF does not provide investment in CBRS but is thematically aligned to the real world uses of AI, and therefore, if you are interested in investing for long-term (3+) in AI, it may be beneficial to hold WDRN. However, should you want to invest for the long term in a new ETF like WDRN, you need to be aware of its relative low volume / liquidity and short historical performance record.