How to buy AMD shares from New Zealand

Author: Kevin McHugh, Head of Publishing at Banked.

AMD has become one of the more closely watched stocks among Kiwi investors, largely on the back of its growing role in AI infrastructure.

Whether you’ve been watching AMD for a while or you’re starting your research now, this guide walks through what the company does, which NZ platforms let you buy AMD shares, and what to watch for before investing.

What is AMD?

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is an American chip company founded in 1969 and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker AMD. It designs and sells the chips that power everything from personal computers to the world’s largest AI data centres.

AMD’s main products are its EPYC server processors, which compete with Intel chips in data centres, and its Instinct GPUs, which are used to train and run artificial intelligence models. On the consumer side, AMD makes Ryzen processors for laptops and desktops, and Radeon graphics cards for gaming.

The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and is led by CEO Lisa Su, who took the helm in 2014 and is widely credited with turning the business around from near-bankruptcy into one of the most competitive chip companies in the world.

AMD’s position in AI

The biggest driver of AMD’s growth in recent years has been demand for AI infrastructure. Large technology companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Google run massive data centres that need enormous quantities of GPUs to train and serve AI models. While Nvidia has dominated that market, AMD has steadily grown its share with the Instinct GPU line, and major customers have publicly committed to buying AMD chips alongside Nvidia’s.

AMD’s Data Center segment, which covers both EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs, has been the company’s fastest-growing business, with revenue expanding strongly year-on-year as AI spending accelerates. CEO Lisa Su has stated AMD has “strong and increasing confidence” in reaching tens of billions of dollars in data centre AI revenue in the coming years.

That growth has made AMD one of the more closely watched stocks for investors who want exposure to the AI theme without putting all their eggs in the Nvidia basket.

See our guide on how to invest in AI from New Zealand.

3 steps to buy AMD shares from New Zealand

AMD is listed on the NASDAQ, so you’ll need to use a share trading platform that provides access to US markets. Here’s how to get started.

1. Choose a share trading platform

Several NZ platforms give access to NASDAQ-listed stocks including AMD. The main options are Sharesies, Hatch, Tiger Brokers, and Stake.

Each charges a brokerage fee per trade and a currency conversion fee when you deposit or withdraw in NZD, so it’s worth comparing both before choosing. See our share trading platform fee comparison for a full breakdown.

Here’s what each platform charges for US share trades (as at May 2026):

Sharesies charges a transaction fee of 1.9% of the order value, capped at $5 USD per trade, plus a 0.5% currency conversion fee.

On small orders the percentage fee applies; on larger orders you’ll hit the cap quickly. Sharesies also offers a $3/month subscription plan that covers a portion of manual orders each month. See our Sharesies review.

Hatch charges a flat brokerage fee of $3 USD per order for up to 300 shares, then $0.01 USD per share above that. The currency conversion fee is 0.5% on deposits, and there is a small annual US tax administration fee of $0.50 USD. See our Hatch review.

Tiger Brokers charges $2 USD per trade for up to 200 shares, then $0.01 USD per share above that, with a currency conversion fee of 0.35%, which is the lowest of the four platforms.

New funded clients also receive four free trades per month plus free currency exchange on the first NZ$2,000 exchanged each month, for life. See our Tiger Brokers review.

Stake charges $3 USD per trade for orders up to $30,000 (0.01% above that), plus a 0.70% currency conversion fee on funding. There is also a $2 NZD withdrawal fee. See our Stake review.

2. Open and fund your account

Once you’ve chosen a platform, you’ll need to open an account and complete identity verification. You’ll typically need a NZ driver’s licence or passport, plus proof of address. Most platforms can verify you within a few hours.

When you fund your account, keep in mind that your NZD deposit will be converted to USD before you can buy AMD shares. That conversion happens at the platform’s exchange rate plus their FX fee, so the amount that arrives in your trading account will be slightly less than what you deposited.

All four platforms support fractional shares for US stocks, which means you don’t need to buy a whole AMD share. You can start with whatever dollar amount suits you.

3. Search for AMD and place your order

Once your account is funded, search for AMD on your platform’s app or website and enter the dollar amount or number of shares you want to buy. Most platforms process US orders during NASDAQ trading hours, though some allow orders to be queued outside those hours.

If you want to invest regularly rather than in a lump sum, check whether your platform offers auto-invest. Sharesies, Hatch, and Tiger Brokers all have some form of recurring investment option.

Pros and cons of investing in AMD

The case for AMD

AMD has strong tailwinds behind it. Global demand for AI computing infrastructure is growing rapidly, and AMD is one of the few companies with the engineering capability and manufacturing relationships to compete at scale with Nvidia.

Its EPYC server CPUs have been gaining market share from Intel for several years, which adds a second growth engine that doesn’t depend on the AI GPU story. Lisa Su’s long track record of execution is also a factor many investors weigh in AMD’s favour.

The risks to consider

AMD is a cyclical business, and the chip industry has historically seen sharp downturns.

Competition from Nvidia in AI GPUs is fierce. Nvidia holds a significant share of the AI accelerator market and has a large software ecosystem advantage through its CUDA platform, which developers are deeply familiar with. AMD is investing heavily to close that gap, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.

Because AMD shares are priced in USD, your returns are also affected by movements in the NZD/USD exchange rate. A stronger NZD reduces the NZD value of your holding even if the USD share price stays flat.

AMD’s share price can also be sensitive to earnings results. During periods of high optimism about AI, the valuation tends to stretch, which means the share price can fall sharply if growth disappoints.

Tax considerations for NZ investors

Because AMD is a foreign company, buying its shares triggers New Zealand’s Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) rules once your total overseas share portfolio exceeds NZ$50,000 at cost price (what you originally paid, not the current market value).

Under the most common FIF calculation method, the fair dividend rate, you pay income tax on 5% of the portfolio’s opening value each year, regardless of whether the shares go up or down.

Below the NZ$50,000 cost threshold, dividends are taxed as ordinary income and there is no capital gains tax on any increase in AMD’s share price.

IRD’s Foreign Investment Funds guidance covers the full rules, and your share trading platform may also have helpful tax resources.

Final thoughts

Buying AMD shares from New Zealand is straightforward once you have a platform that gives access to US markets. The more important question is whether AMD fits your investment goals.

It’s a high-growth technology stock in a competitive and cyclical industry, and the share price can move significantly in both directions. As with any investment, it’s worth doing your own research and thinking about how a single-company position fits alongside the rest of your portfolio.

To compare the share trading platforms that let you invest in AMD and other US stocks, see Banked’s guide to the best share trading platforms in New Zealand.