Defiance launches two semiconductor ETFs, AIFR and CRAM, on the same day
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on September 1, 2026.
- AIFRDefiance Global Foundries ETFequity0.71%
- CRAMDefiance China Memory ETFequity0.67%
- HQDGRaub Brock Dividend Growth ETFequity0.50%
- HXFMast HedgeIndex Managed Futures Strategy ETFalternative0.80%
Defiance took two swings at the chip trade in one day, launching a global foundries fund and a China memory fund at 0.71% and 0.67%. The cheapest of the four is a dividend growth ETF at 0.50%, with a managed futures strategy the priciest at 0.80%.
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Defiance chose September 1 to debut both the Global Foundries ETF (AIFR) and the China Memory ETF (CRAM) simultaneously, a rare double launch that signals a deliberate bet on two distinct corners of the semiconductor supply chain.
AIFR's mandate is a play on the foundries that manufacture chips designed by others, the physical production infrastructure the entire industry depends on. CRAM narrows the focus to Chinese memory chip makers, a segment that sits at the center of ongoing geopolitical and supply-chain tension.
The other two funds that launched the same day round out a varied lineup, spanning the Raub Brock Dividend Growth ETF (HQDG) and the Mast HedgeIndex Managed Futures Strategy ETF (HXF).
For investors already tracking the semiconductor space, the expense ratio gap between AIFR and CRAM is modest, but the geographic and thematic difference between a global foundries mandate and a China-focused memory mandate is significant. Choosing between them amounts to a view on where the next pressure point in chip production will emerge.