Key Points

• With the token’s price trading 94% off its peak from 2021, Shiba Inu is fighting to remain relevant.

• Nvidia has been the poster child of the AI build-out, a competitive position that has resulted in rapid revenue and profit growth.

• Five years from now, there’s virtually a zero percent chance that Shiba Inu produces a better return than Nvidia.

• 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia ›

Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) was at one point the most high-octane cryptocurrency on the market. Its price absolutely skyrocketed in 2021, hitting a peak of $0.00008845 in October that year. It's been a slow downward trend since that all-time high was established. As of Sept. 11, Shiba Inu trades 94% off its record.

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been on a completely different trajectory. There has been insatiable demand for its data center chips during the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. This has made the stock an incredible winner, rising 860% during the past five years.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

On one side, there's Shiba Inu looking to gain back its former glory. On the other side, Nvidia is riding the AI wave. Which investment opportunity is more likely to win during the next five years?

The meme token's best days are in the past

Shiba Inu's price has been disappointing. I believe this is representative of its investment case.

What propelled this meme token to fame was its strong community of supporters, known as the ShibArmy. The fact that the crypto's price has tanked means that this group's interest is waning. And it's silly for investors to bet their hard-earned savings on a reversal of fortune.

This is especially true when there aren't any convincing fundamentals to lean on. To its credit, Shiba Inu has a metaverse, Layer-2 scaling solution to handle more volume, and a decentralized exchange. None of these have done anything to lift the digital asset's price. Therefore, it's a valid assumption that adoption hasn't grown in any meaningful way.

There is simply way too much competition in meme-coin land these days. It's becoming obvious that Shiba Inu's best days are behind it. Long-term investors should avoid owning this crypto.

Demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure isn't slowing

At a $5.3 trillion market capitalization, Nvidia is the world's most valuable company. Its ascent has been remarkable to watch. AI has been the single most important driving force.

Nvidia sits right in the middle of the AI boom. It sells the most powerful and highly sought after graphics processing units (GPUs) that support AI training and inference. And its CUDA software enables developers to create various applications.

Demand for data center GPUs has been phenomenal. The biggest customers are the hyperscalers, as well as neocloud, industrial, and enterprise clients. All want access to computing capacity, which is in extremely short supply these days.

It's difficult to comprehend just how impressive Nvidia's growth has been. Revenue more than doubled year over year in the latest fiscal quarter (Q2 2027 ended July 26). Net income surged 126%.

The shares trade at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 24.6. This represents a 16% premium relative to the S&P 500 index. That's a compelling valuation given how robust Nvidia's financial performance has been.

Clearly, the market isn't fully appreciating the business. Any rational investor could come up with a valid argument as to why the forward P/E multiple should be double where it currently stands. Just look at the company's revenue and earnings growth.

However, this highlights the biggest risk factor. No one knows the durability of the AI infrastructure build-out. We're in uncharted territory here. There's a chance that the music stops before anyone anticipates, at which point Nvidia's financials would be adversely affected. It's important not to ignore this possibility.

Only one of these opportunities deserves a serious look

During the next five years (or any timeframe for that matter), Nvidia has much greater upside than Shiba Inu. In fact, there's a strong likelihood that the meme coin will be worth less in the future, as interest continues to fade.

Nvidia's valuation is cheap relative to its monster financial success. But the stock's performance is entirely dependent on the AI boom lasting for a long time. Any notable slowdown can pressure the shares. Prospective investors should understand the thesis before buying the business.

Should you buy stock in Nvidia right now?

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Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.