There is a simple truth that many Australian investors have been slow to embrace: some of the most powerful wealth-creating businesses in the world do not trade on the ASX.
Fortunately, two exchange-traded funds give Australian investors direct access to global technology and artificial intelligence megatrends without needing an international brokerage account.
Both have delivered outstanding returns in recent times, and the momentum behind them show no sign of slowing.
Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF
The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) is one of the most popular offshore tech ASX ETFs available to Australian investors, and for good reason.
The fund tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq exchange.
This gives investors exposure to names such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms in a single ASX trade.
Today NDQ trades at all-time highs, reflecting the extraordinary momentum that has built behind AI-driven earnings growth across its top holdings.
Over the past five years, the fund has more than doubled in unit price terms, compounding at a rate that has comfortably outpaced the ASX 200 over the same period.
The index rebalances quarterly and reconstitutes annually each December.
This ensures that investors are always aligned with the most relevant and largest technology companies in the world.
Betashares Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF
The Betashares Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (ASX: RBTZ) offers a more targeted exposure to the AI megatrend.
The ETF focuses specifically on companies involved in the production and use of robotics and artificial intelligence products and services.
RBTZ holds 60 companies globally, tracking the Indxx Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index, with top holdings including Nvidia, ABB, Keyence Corp, Fanuc Corporation, and Intuitive Surgical.
The fund is well diversified across industrial automation giants, semiconductor leaders, and healthcare robotics companies.
This also serves to demonstrate the breadth of the AI and robotics opportunity beyond just software and consumer tech.
In contrast to NDQ's concentration in US large caps, RBTZ draws approximately 50% of its exposure from Asian industrials and robotics companies, including Japanese precision engineering firms that are essential suppliers to the global AI buildout.
RBTZ also benefits from the broader industrial automation wave that is accelerating as labour costs rise and manufacturers invest in AI-driven production systems.
The fund charges an annual management fee of 0.57% and distributed an annual dividend.
The case for going offshore
The argument for both funds rests on a simple observation: the AI buildout is a global phenomenon led by US and Asian technology companies that have few equivalents on the ASX.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta are collectively expected to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure in 2026 alone.
This should drive earnings growth across the technology supply chain that flows directly into both NDQ and RBTZ.
Foolish takeaway
ASX ETFs NDQ and RBTZ offer Australian investors two different but complementary ways to capture the global AI and technology megatrend.
NDQ provides broad exposure to the world's dominant technology franchises, while RBTZ drills deeper into the industrial automation and robotics layer of the AI economy.
Together they represent a great offshore allocation opportunity for long-term Australian investors who believe the technology revolution has years to run.
