Three AI ETFs Worth Watching: Million-Dollar Portfolio Potential Over Three Decades

The artificial intelligence sector continues to dominate market conversations, and for good reason. AI ETFs have emerged as a compelling way for investors to gain broad exposure to this transformative technology without having to pick individual winners. Rather than attempting to forecast which companies will lead the next wave of AI innovation, investors can leverage diversified exchange-traded funds to capture the entire AI ecosystem—from semiconductor manufacturers designing chips for large language models to cloud computing providers enabling AI infrastructure.

The compelling proposition is straightforward: consistently investing $1,000 monthly across three quality AI ETFs could potentially accumulate to $15 million over a 30-year horizon. This projection requires roughly 15% average annual returns—an ambitious but achievable target for funds focused on high-growth artificial intelligence and technology sectors that have powered market gains over the past three years.

Why AI Exchange-Traded Funds Are Capturing Investor Attention

Artificial intelligence represents far more than a passing trend. The sector encompasses semiconductor manufacturers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices that design the chips powering AI model training and inference, alongside cloud computing infrastructure providers offering the platforms organizations need to build custom AI applications. Beyond hardware, software companies including Palantir Technologies (which developed an AI-powered operating system) and Salesforce (positioned to lead with AI agents) are reshaping their business models around artificial intelligence.

Traditional tech giants like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta have integrated AI solutions throughout their operations, while companies like AppLovin have built AI-driven products reshaping their competitive positioning. By investing through quality AI ETFs, you gain instant diversification across this entire value chain rather than wagering on individual companies.

Roundhill’s Generative AI ETF (CHAT): Cutting-Edge Innovation Meets Infrastructure Exposure

The Roundhill’s Generative AI ETF (ticker: CHAT) takes an actively managed approach to generative AI exposure. Its portfolio concentrates on companies actively creating next-generation AI tools and platforms, with prominent positions in Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon representing the forefront of AI development.

What distinguishes this AI ETF is its dual approach. Beyond generative AI leaders, CHAT also maintains meaningful allocations to critical infrastructure providers including Nvidia, SK Hynix, Samsung, AMD, and Broadcom—the companies supplying the essential chips and components powering AI systems worldwide. The fund holds approximately 40 stocks, with roughly 65% concentrated in U.S. companies, predominantly large-cap names.

The fund’s recent trajectory has been impressive: CHAT rallied nearly 50% throughout 2025, demonstrating the substantial tailwinds supporting AI-related investments during this period.

Global X AI & Technology ETF (AIQ): International Diversification and Memory Chip Exposure

The Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (ticker: AIQ) provides a more globally balanced approach to artificial intelligence investing. About 35% of its holdings extend beyond U.S. markets, capturing international AI exposure that many domestic investors might overlook.

Samsung ranks as AIQ’s leading position, reflecting the company’s advantageous positioning in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chip production—components increasingly critical for powering AI infrastructure. A supply shortage coupled with surging demand has driven memory prices higher, benefiting companies like Samsung throughout the AI value chain spanning cloud computing to enterprise software platforms.

AIQ demonstrated robust 2025 performance, gaining 32%, while its three-year average annual return reached 36.4%—substantially outpacing broader market benchmarks and highlighting the AIQ ETF’s competitive positioning.

Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF (IGPT): Longest Track Record in AI Evolution

The Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF (ticker: IGPT) offers the advantage of extended historical performance data. Originally launched as software-focused, IGPT evolved to track the STOXX World AC NexGen Software Development Index (prior to August 25, 2023, it tracked the Dynamic Software Intellidex Index).

IGPT’s current holdings total approximately 100 securities, creating a diversified blend of hardware, software, and robotics-focused companies. Micron Technology leads the portfolio—another memory chip manufacturer benefiting from the HBM demand surge and elevated memory pricing. The AI ETF maintains heavier U.S. concentration than its peers, with nearly 84% domestic holdings.

Performance metrics underscore IGPT’s appeal: the fund gained 31.7% in 2025, while its three-year average annual return stands at 25.2%. Looking backward over a decade, IGPT delivered a solid 16.4% annualized return—demonstrating consistent performance across varying market cycles.

The Mathematics Behind Sustained Growth: Achieving $15 Million

The projection that monthly $1,000 investments in AI ETFs could reach $15 million assumes approximately 15% average annual returns compounded over 30 years. While ambitious, this target remains realistic for artificial intelligence-focused funds given the sector’s historical outperformance and growth trajectory. Historical examples illustrate the power of long-term commitment: Netflix generated extraordinary returns when added to Stock Advisor’s recommended list in December 2004 (transforming $1,000 into $482,209), while Nvidia’s inclusion in April 2005 produced even more dramatic results ($1,000 becoming $1,133,548).

The Stock Advisor service overall has delivered 968% average returns since inception—substantially exceeding the S&P 500’s 197% gain. These historical precedents, while not predictive of future results, demonstrate the return potential available to disciplined investors with long time horizons in high-growth technology sectors.

Should You Build an AI ETF Position Now?

The fundamental question for potential investors remains straightforward: are artificial intelligence exchange-traded funds appropriately positioned in your portfolio at this stage of technological transformation? The sector’s multi-year outperformance and continued innovation suggest meaningful opportunity remains.

Building a diversified approach spanning Roundhill’s CHAT, Global X’s AIQ, and Invesco’s IGPT provides exposure across different geographic allocations and thematic emphases within artificial intelligence. Rather than attempting to identify tomorrow’s winning technologies, these AI ETFs offer a pragmatic framework for participating in the AI revolution’s upside while managing individual company risk through diversification.

For investors with 30-year time horizons and conviction about artificial intelligence’s transformative potential, the consistent accumulation of quality AI ETFs represents a straightforward pathway toward substantial wealth creation. The specific time to initiate such a strategy matters far less than the discipline to maintain regular investment contributions regardless of short-term market volatility.