In a wide‑ranging conversation on Share Talk, Zak Mir sat down with Clem Chambes, CEO of aNewFN.com, to pick apart market narratives, technology trends and the practical fallout for investors. Clem brings his trademark scepticism, dry humour and strategic thinking to a discussion that ranges from the silliness of punditry to a single, clear investment thesis: whoever “wills” the AI wins.
Why pundits are easy to spot — and why that matters
Clem begins with a straightforward approach to market commentary: look for misnomers and ideas that are self‑contradictory. If a concept sounds like an oxymoron, or a “new” product is simply an old thing with a fancier name, treat it with suspicion. He gives a couple of memorable examples — grandiose fusion promises and speculative celebrity forecasts — to show how hype can obscure reality.
““I look for what I would call misnomers… ideas that are actually oxymoronic, i.e. self‑contradictory.””
The practical takeaway: read beyond the headline, ask where the underlying economics come from, and be alert to commentators retrofitting their predictions to suit the outcome.
AI isn’t coming — it’s here. So what does that mean for investors?
Clem is unequivocal: AI has already left the lab and is reshaping economics at scale. He points to public pronouncements by tech leaders — Elon Musk’s hyperbolic energy estimates and Jeff Bezos’s idea of server farms in space — not as science fiction for its own sake, but as signposts for where capital, demand and supply chains will be pulled.
““There’s no second place in AI. If someone’s got more AI than you, you are toast.””
That simple idea drives many downstream investment implications. If AI requires vastly more computation, you’ll need more power, more cooling, more distribution capacity and more raw materials. Even if some aspects of those claims are exaggerated, the directional signal is powerful: infrastructure, energy, and the commodities that underpin them will be in greater demand.
The caveat: technological substitution can change things
Clem is clear that transitions happen. Today’s assumptions about cables and massive on‑site datacentres could be disrupted by architectural changes (wireless power, edge computing innovations, new materials). Still, transitions take time, and the investment opportunity often lies in the transition phase rather than the eventual end state.
Concrete investment ideas and where to look
Clem translates big ideas into practical hunting grounds for investors. These are the themes he keeps coming back to:
- Supply bottlenecks: look for scarce inputs such as copper, palladium, platinum and rare earths that are essential to AI infrastructure and electrification.
- Energy and distribution: companies that build and maintain power distribution (for example, National Grid) become strategic assets when electricity demand surges.
- Environmental remediation: increased energy use and fossil‑fuel fallback create demand for companies that clean and remediate pollution.
- Specialist infrastructure suppliers: firms that make components for rockets, server cooling systems, cables and other physical inputs into the new AI economy.
- Income and boring winners: steady dividend payers with monopoly characteristics remain attractive for many investors — “boring” can be highly profitable.
Clem flags the practical problems investors must consider, too — political risk (for regulated monopolies), contract‑price mismatches for manufacturers (rising commodity costs vs fixed contracts), and the danger of owning the wrong part of the chain.
Example names and positioning
While Clem avoids giving a shopping list of speculative tips, he explains the logic behind some of his moves: buying into National Grid because it’s effectively the UK’s electricity distribution backbone; watching nuclear‑related small caps (he mentions Avintrans) because nuclear will be part of the energy mix; and thinking carefully about cable manufacturers and commodity producers.
His practical investor checklist:
- Find a bottleneck that is hard to replace.
- Assess political and contract risk before committing.
- Prefer businesses with pricing power or monopoly characteristics where possible.
- Be wary of small caps unless you have deep domain expertise.
Speculation vs investing — the slow, boring route still works
Clem contrasts gambling‑style market behaviour with considered investing. Speculation is the “fast end” of investing — it can make fortunes but is emotionally and financially risky. For most people, a patient, dividend‑oriented approach is preferable. He invokes the Buffett ethos: buy quality, collect cashflows and wait for upside (takeover premiums, structural rerating).
““Why wouldn’t you take the boring route like Mr Buffett?””
That doesn’t mean ignoring megatrends. It means matching exposure to risk tolerance: get exposure to AI and electrification where you can identify durable economics, but don’t treat the stock market as a casino.
Commodities, remediation and the environmental angle
At the base of Clem’s pyramid are commodities. Copper, rare earths, palladium and platinum underlie the physical world of AI and electrification. He also predicts a large market for environmental remediation as societies burn more energy during transitions. That demand will create winners in a wide range of specialist fields.
Key points to remember:
- Commodities are the physical constraints on scale — shortages can create outsized returns.
- Environmental remediation is likely to be a multi‑decade industry given increased energy use and legacy pollution.
- Political realism matters — some materials are concentrated in a small number of countries, which creates geopolitical risk.
aNewFN: free real‑time data and a new tool
Clem also talked about the motivation behind aNewFN: to make real‑time market data accessible. The site went live with free UK real‑time quotes — “free now, free forever,” he says — and is rolling out a new tool that will multiply the platform’s utility.
Important practical note from Clem:
- Register early: the platform launched only days earlier and demand may be high around new feature rollouts.
- Expect iterative improvements: early‑stage services need optimisation (the “hell curve” Clem mentions), so features will be refined quickly.
Big idea in one line
““Who wills the AI wins — there’s no second place.””
That line is Clem’s investment compass. Whether you agree with the absolute phrasing or not, the strategic point is clear: AI drives an immense, multi‑layered demand shock that will ripple across energy, materials, infrastructure and services.
Risks and counterpoints
Clem doesn’t ignore the downside. He acknowledges:
- Technological substitution — new inventions could alter which inputs matter most.
- Political risk — regulated utilities can be political footballs.
- Execution risk — small companies without expertise can fail even in booming themes.
His advice is therefore pragmatic: think systemically, hunt for durable bottlenecks, and maintain a margin for error.
Final thoughts
Investing in 2025 (and beyond) is less about predicting which headline will dominate tomorrow and more about mapping structural change: where energy flows, where scarce materials sit in supply chains, and which businesses occupy monopoly or near‑monopoly positions. Clem’s core message is optimistic but disciplined — the next wave of wealth is likely to be vast, but you capture it by understanding the plumbing beneath the hype.
““Never too late.””
Whether you’re 20 or 60, there are pragmatic ways to participate: learn the bottlenecks, favour businesses with durable economics, and don’t be seduced into treating markets like casinos. If you want tools to help with that analysis, Clem suggests checking out aNewFN and registering early for the upcoming feature rollout.
Disclaimer & Declaration of Interest:
The information, investment views, and recommendations in this Zaks Traders Cafe interview are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this interview should be construed as a promotion or solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or referred to or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engage in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the commentator but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. The commentators may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.
