The Smart Investor·2026-01-19 09:30Core Viewpoint - The global AI ecosystem is structured as a "five-layer cake," consisting of energy, chips, cloud, AI models, and applications, with various companies leading each layer, presenting investment opportunities across the ecosystem [1]. Layer 1: Energy - Constellation Energy is the largest producer of reliable, clean energy in the US, with nuclear power accounting for approximately two-thirds of its output [2]. - In 3Q2025, operating revenues increased by 0.31% YoY to US$6.6 billion, while adjusted non-GAAP operating earnings rose by 10.7% YoY due to fewer nuclear outage days [2]. - For 9M2025, operating cash flow turned positive at US$3.4 billion, a significant improvement from an outflow of US$1.44 billion the previous year [3]. - The company aims for a long-term growth target of 13% per year in operating earnings through 2030 [4]. Layer 2: Chips - NVIDIA has evolved from a GPU provider for gaming to a leader in AI architecture, now dominating the networking business for generative AI models [5]. - In 3QFY2026, revenue grew by 62.5% YoY to US$57 billion, with net income increasing by over 65% to nearly US$32 billion [6]. - Free cash flow for the same period rose by 31.5% YoY to US$22.1 billion, driven by the demand for NVIDIA's advanced GPU architecture [6]. - The company's CUDA platform supports virtually all current and emerging AI models, establishing a strong competitive moat [7]. Layer 3: Infrastructure - Microsoft’s Azure holds a 20% share of the global cloud market, ranking second after AWS [8]. - In 1QFY2026, Microsoft's revenue and net income increased by 18.4% YoY to US$77.67 billion and 12.5% YoY to US$27.75 billion, respectively [9]. - Operating cash flow surged nearly 32% YoY to US$45.1 billion, driven by cloud strength [9]. - Microsoft integrates AI into its enterprise ecosystem, enhancing demand for Azure and achieving over 100% growth in commercial bookings [10]. Layer 4: AI Models - Alphabet employs a proprietary full-stack approach to AI model development, distinguishing itself from competitors [11]. - In 3Q2025, Alphabet's revenue rose by nearly 16% YoY to US$102.3 billion, with net income increasing almost 33% YoY to US$35 billion [11]. - The company’s vertically integrated AI ecosystem allows for innovation and monetization across multiple layers with high efficiency [11]. Layer 5: Applications - Salesforce leads the CRM technology market with a 20.7% share, reporting an 8.6% revenue increase to US$10.3 billion in 3QFY2026 [12]. - Net earnings and free cash flow surged by 36.6% and 22.3% YoY to US$2.1 billion and US$2.2 billion, respectively [12]. - The deployment of agentic AI through the Agentforce Platform has enabled clients to automate up to 98% of manual activities [13]. - Agentforce accounted for six out of ten deals in the latest quarter, showcasing strong market momentum [14].