Chip Stock Investor Podcast

Cloudflare is growing 30%+ a year — but our supply chain mapping shows a warning sign most investors are missing.
In this deep dive, we map the entire CDN supply chain — from hyperscaler and neocloud infrastructure down to enterprise software and e-commerce end markets — using our new Custom Supply Chain research tool. We break down where Cloudflare, Akamai, and Fastly actually sit relative to vertically integrated competitors like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, all of whom now run in-house CDNs.
We cover how neoclouds like CoreWeave and Nebius fit into the AI infrastructure picture, why DigitalOcean's CDN relationship with Cloudflare matters, and which enterprise software names (Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, Palo Alto Networks) rely on which providers. Then we use the mapping to evaluate competitive positioning, pricing power, and where profit is actually accruing in the data center and cloud infrastructure ecosystem.
If you're researching Cloudflare, Akamai's turnaround potential, or Fastly's multi-CDN diversification thesis, this framework will change how you evaluate these names.
Members of Semiconductor Insider get our complete company-by-company research, valuation models, and portfolio allocation notes on Cloudflare, Akamai, and Fastly, plus weekly live Q&A and a growing set of tools to build your process: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
All our socials: https://linktr.ee/chipstockinvestor
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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 Cloudflare.

CDNs have quietly become one of the most important layers of internet and AI infrastructure, moving everything from website traffic to large-scale AI data transfer. In this episode we compare the three public leaders — Cloudflare (NET), Akamai (AKAM), and Fastly (FSLY) — on revenue growth, gross margin, operating margin, free cash flow margin, and balance sheet strength.
We also give you a first look at the new Chip Stock Investor research dashboard, launching in September at chipstockinvestor.com. The CDN comparison is the demo: everything you hear us pull up, you'll be able to run yourself.
A few things that stood out:
Cloudflare, another 30%+ quarter (33.5% growth) with net cash, but trading near 40x sales at a $110B+ market cap.
Akamai is larger by revenue, but carrying $4.2B in net debt after an acquisition-led push into cloud infrastructure.
Fastly, growth re-accelerated past 20%, putting the smallest of the three back in the value conversation.

Full company-by-company research, valuation models, and portfolio allocation notes go live for Semiconductor Insider members in September: https://www.chipstockinvestor.com
Data and charts built with fiscal.ai: https://www.fiscal.ai/csi (15% off with that link)
All our socials: https://linktr.ee/chipstockinvestor
Chapters:
(0:00) Why the CDN market matters for AI infrastructure
(1:00) What a CDN actually does
(3:00) How each company differentiates: security, compute, observability
(3:45) Live dashboard: market cap and revenue
(4:00) Revenue growth: Cloudflare's 33.5% vs. Akamai's slowdown
(5:00) Margins that matter: gross, operating, free cash flow
(6:00) Balance sheet: net cash vs. Akamai's $4.2B net debt
(6:30) Long-term revenue trajectory
(7:00) Cloudflare valuation: is 40x sales too rich?
(8:00) Portfolio moves: trimming Cloudflare, Akamai's turnaround, Fastly's upside
CSI owns shares of Cloudflare. Content is for general information or entertainment only and is not individual investment advice. All investing involves risk, and you could lose some or all of your principal.

Super Micro Computer is trending on social media again. Before you follow the hype, here's what the actual numbers say.
CSI breaks down SMCI's most recent quarter using fiscal.ai data — gross profit margin below 11% and guided to stay near the trough, rising revenue with stagnant operating profit, and free cash flow that has been negative for most of the company's history. We also unpack the $7 billion equity and equity-linked financing raise from June 2026, the new SMCIP preferred stock paying a 7% dividend, and what that means for where common shareholders sit in the pecking order for future cash flows.We dig into the accounts payable and receivable dynamics behind SMCI's competitive pricing strategy, and why the lack of an in-house financing arm — unlike Dell, HPE, and Lenovo — remains a structural headwind that the headlines are not talking about.Affiliate links that are sprinkled in throughout this video. If something catches your eye and you decide to buy it, we might earn a little coffee money. Thanks for helping us (Kasey) fuel our caffeine addiction!Content in this video 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 Supermicro

Applied Materials just guided toward its first ever quarter exceeding ten billion dollars in revenue, with year-over-year growth above fifty percent at the midpoint. Nick breaks down the full AMAT update for August 2026 — results, guidance, the China recovery, and whether the stock still belongs in a portfolio after the selloff.

Q3 fiscal year 2026 came in at nine point one billion in revenue with gross margins at fifty percent and operating margins above thirty percent. China is back in growth mode at roughly two point three billion in revenue.

The ICAPS segment covering power, optical, and automotive is recovering. Applied is doubling manufacturing capacity by 2028. A reverse DCF suggests the stock is pricing in twenty-four percent annual earnings per share growth — not cheap, but CSI remains long.

For in-depth research and the Semiconductor Insider membership, visit chipstockinvestor.com. Use fiscal.ai/csi for 15% off any paid plan.

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Content in this video 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 AMAT.

DigitalOcean just raised its 2026 growth guidance to 30–31%, and the stock sold off anyway.
In this episode we work through what DigitalOcean's (DOCN) Q2 update actually changed. Management lifted full-year 2026 revenue guidance from 25–27% to 30–31% and pointed to a possible 50%+ growth rate exiting fiscal 2027.
The driver is a scaling cohort of large enterprise and developer customers landing in a supply-constrained compute market — the same capacity bottleneck hyperscalers like Microsoft have flagged around data center construction.
We cover the shift from an SMB cloud provider toward a developer and enterprise-scaler platform, why the co-location approach gives it an edge over hyperscalers building from the ground up, and how management reworked the balance sheet by retiring convertible debt, raising cash, and continuing buybacks.
We also run a DCF scenario assuming a 36% five-year per-share profit CAGR, and talk through why the move from small-cap to midcap matters for a fundamentals-first thesis.
For 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
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Disclaimer: Content 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 DigitalOcean.