Chip Stock Investor Podcast

Twist Bioscience (TWST) just had a massive run-up after Anthropic's protein design results put its DNA synthesis platform in the spotlight. Here's what's really driving the stock — and whether it's still a buy.
Twist has surged in recent months, fueled by growing demand for AI-enabled drug discovery and a high-profile 8-K disclosure tied to Anthropic's protein design campaign. In this deep dive, we break down Twist's silicon-based DNA synthesis platform, how it differs from traditional synthesis methods, and why manufacturing costs have fallen sharply over the past three years.
We cover the two core segments — DNA synthesis and protein solutions versus next-gen sequencing (NGS) — and which one is growing faster. We unpack customer trends across therapeutics, diagnostics, academic/government, and industrial markets, plus the rationale behind spinning off the Atlas Data Storage business. From there, we walk through Twist's fiscal 2026 guidance, free cash flow trajectory, and the dilution risk created by its $200 million and $300 million at-the-market equity offerings. Finally, we run two reverse DCF scenarios to stress-test what the market may be pricing in today, and explain why the valuation still looks rich despite the growth story.

Is TWST a buy after this run, or still just a watch-list name?
TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Why Twist Bioscience Is Back on Our Radar1:14 - How Twist's Silicon DNA Synthesis Platform Works2:36 - Cost, Waste, and Turnaround Time Improvements3:44 - Segment Breakdown: DNA Synthesis vs. NGS5:00 - Where Growth Is Coming From: Customer Industries6:35 - The Atlas Data Storage Spin-Off Explained7:14 - AI Drug Discovery: Twist's Role in the Pipeline7:50 - The Anthropic 8-K and August's Stock Spike9:20 - FY2026 Guidance, Cash Burn, and Dilution Risk11:15 - Two Reverse DCF Scenarios: What's Priced In?13:14 - Final Take: Buy, Pass, or Watch List?
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If you want the reasoning behind more names like this one, Semiconductor Insider covers the process in more depth. Get access to all our research, weekly live Q&A events, and a growing set of tools to build your process: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
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Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy something through them, we might earn a little coffee money — thanks for helping us (Kasey) fuel our caffeine addiction.
Content in this episode is for general information or entertainment only and is not specific or individual investment advice. Forecasts and information presented may not develop as predicted, and there is no guarantee any strategies presented will be successful. All investing involves risk, and you could lose some or all of your principal. CSI doesn't own shares of Twist Bioscience.

We compare Credo (CRDO) against Broadcom (AVGO), Marvell (MRVL), and Astera Labs (ALAB) on revenue growth, gross margin, operating margin, and free cash flow margin — four fabless companies selling into the same AI networking build-out with very different economics underneath.
Then we run Credo through our full Investment Thesis Checklist: industry classification, secular growth validation, sales cycle risk, financial health, and a simplified DCF to back out what growth rate is priced into the stock at $171.
The side-by-side numbers come from the Compare Companies tool we just launched on the Semiconductor Insider dashboard. https://linktr.ee/chipstockinvestor
Semiconductor Insider includes all our research, weekly live Q&A, and the dashboard tools: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
Why Chip Stock Investor is becoming a software business: https://chipstockinvestor.com/why-chip-stock-investor-is-becoming-a-software-business/

Chapters
0:00 Why the fastest-growing chip stock sold off
0:45 The Compare Companies tool2:00 Broadcom, Marvell, Astera Labs and Credo side by side
3:00 Why allocation matters more late in a bull market3:40 Revenue growth: Credo leads at 115%4:05 Gross margin: four different business models5:00 Operating margin and free cash flow6:10 Inside Credo: fabless design and active electrical cables7:30 Thesis checklist: secular growth and cycle risk9:00 Financial validation: growth, margins, balance sheet10:00 DCF: what growth rate is priced in at $17112:00 Verdict: watchlist, buy, or pass
Some links in these show notes are affiliate links. If you buy something through one, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
This podcast is for general information and entertainment only and is not individual investment advice. Forecasts and information presented may not develop as predicted, and there is no guarantee any strategy discussed will be successful. All investing involves risk, and you could lose some or all of your principal. CSI owns shares of Credo Technology.

We break down the takeaways from Oracle's (ORCL) Q1 fiscal 2027 earnings call — what to expect through 2026 and into 2027–2028 as hyperscaler CapEx stays high but is set to slow in growth by 2027, and more in 2028.
Oracle posted $19.3B in revenue (sequentially flat) with seasonality fading, while balance sheet concerns persist: $125B in debt against $37B in cash. Management cut debt for a second straight quarter and completed a $20B at-the-market equity program. But CapEx surged to $28.5B — though operating cash flow rose to $23.1B, and management said new data center capacity is getting booked quickly and generating positive cash flow.
Nick closes by connecting ongoing AI infrastructure spending to broader semiconductor stock volatility — and why our positive market outlook through the end of 2026 stays unchanged.

TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Oracle Earnings Setup0:51 - Revenue Growth Snapshot1:35 - Balance Sheet and Debt2:49 - CapEx Surge Explained4:01 - Free Cash Flow Outlook5:06 - CapEx Ratios Peak5:50 - Cloud Growth Drivers8:40 - Portfolio View on Oracle9:32 - Market Theme and CapEx12:04 - Wrap Up and Next Steps
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If you want the reasoning behind more names like this one, Semiconductor Insider covers the process in more depth. Get access to all our research, weekly live Q&A events, and a growing set of tools to build your process: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
All our socials: https://linktr.ee/chipstockinvestor
If you're getting value from the show, follow so you don't miss the next one.
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Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy something through them, we might earn a little coffee money — thanks for helping us (Kasey) fuel our caffeine addiction.
Content in this episode is for general information or entertainment only and is not specific or individual investment advice. Forecasts and information presented may not develop as predicted, and there is no guarantee any strategies presented will be successful. All investing involves risk, and you could lose some or all of your principal. CSI owns shares of Oracle.

Nvidia just proposed its largest acquisition ever — $12.9 billion for Hugging Face. But regulators in the US, EU, and China may have other plans.
Nvidia has announced plans to acquire Hugging Face, the leading open-source repository for AI and machine learning code, in a deal valued at $12.9 billion — technically the largest acquisition in Nvidia's history. In this episode, we break down what Hugging Face actually does, why it matters to Nvidia's broader ecosystem strategy, and how this move fits into Nvidia's history of vertical and horizontal acquisitions, from Mellanox to the failed Arm Holdings bid.
We also examine the growing trend of "acquihires" (Enfabrica, Groq, Poolside) and what regulatory scrutiny could mean for this deal specifically, given Hugging Face's large presence in the EU. We draw a direct comparison to Microsoft's 2018 acquisition of GitHub — and how that deal quietly became a distribution funnel for Azure and OpenAI — then ask whether Hugging Face could play a similar role for Nvidia's AI infrastructure business. Finally, we cover Nvidia's revenue segmentation shift, its position versus Broadcom, and why this remains our top semiconductor holding heading into the rest of 2026.
TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Nvidia's $12.9B Hugging Face Bombshell1:00 - What Hugging Face Actually Does2:30 - Why Nvidia Wants Developer Distribution4:00 - Nvidia's Acquisition Track Record: Mellanox to Arm5:30 - The Rise of the "Acquihire" (Enfabrica, Groq, Poolside)6:30 - Regulatory Risk: Why This Deal Could Get Blocked8:00 - The Microsoft-GitHub Playbook Comparison11:00 - Nvidia's Revenue Segmentation Shift13:00 - Nvidia vs. Broadcom: Growth Comparison14:00 - Valuation and Final Take for 2026
—
If you want the reasoning behind more names like this one, Semiconductor Insider covers the process in more depth. Get access to all our research, weekly live Q&A events, and a growing set of tools to build your process: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
All our socials: https://linktr.ee/chipstockinvestor
If you're getting value from the show, follow so you don't miss the next one.
—
Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy something through them, we might earn a little coffee money — thanks for helping us (Kasey) fuel our caffeine addiction.
Content in this episode is for general information or entertainment only and is not specific or individual investment advice. Forecasts and information presented may not develop as predicted, and there is no guarantee any strategies presented will be successful. All investing involves risk, and you could lose some or all of your principal. CSI owns shares of Nvidia.

Pure Storage just rebranded to Everpure — and in the same stretch, free cash flow went negative 20% in a single quarter. Here's what's really going on.
Pure Storage has officially rebranded as Everpure (P), reflecting its shift from a storage-hardware company into a broader enterprise data management platform. In this episode, we break down what the rebrand actually signals about the business, then dig into the numbers behind a rough quarter: free cash flow swung negative as the company prepaid roughly $500 million for NAND flash and memory components amid a broader memory shortage.
We map where Everpure sits in the semiconductor and data center supply chain, its suppliers (Micron, Kioxia), and its closest public peer, NetApp — comparing revenue growth, gross margin, and free cash flow margin side by side. We also unpack Everpure's growing hyperscaler relationships, including its Meta partnership and a newly disclosed second hyperscaler customer, and what that means for growth heading into fiscal 2028. Finally, we run a reverse DCF at current prices to show exactly what growth and margin assumptions the market is pricing in — and whether this could be a durable, long-term compounder.

TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Pure Storage Is Now Everpure — Why the Rebrand Happened1:15 - Where Everpure Fits in the Semiconductor Supply Chain5:00 - Suppliers, Competitors, and the Rise of Vast Data7:00 - The Meta Deal and Second Hyperscaler Explained9:00 - Everpure vs. NetApp: Margins and Growth Compared11:30 - Why Free Cash Flow Went Negative 20% This Quarter14:00 - Product Revenue vs. Subscription Revenue Breakdown16:30 - Reverse DCF: What the Market Is Pricing Into Everpure18:00 - Is Everpure Stock a Buy? Our Long-Term Thesis
—
If you want the reasoning behind more names like this one, Semiconductor Insider covers the process in more depth. Get access to all our research, weekly live Q&A events, and a growing set of tools to build your process: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
All our socials: https://linktr.ee/chipstockinvestor
If you're getting value from the show, follow so you don't miss the next one.
—
Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy something through them, we might earn a little coffee money — thanks for helping us (Kasey) fuel our caffeine addiction.
Content in this episode is for general information or entertainment only and is not specific or individual investment advice. Forecasts and information presented may not develop as predicted, and there is no guarantee any strategies presented will be successful. All investing involves risk, and you could lose some or all of your principal. CSI owns shares of Everpure.