2 Tech Stocks That Could Help Set You Up for Life

President Donald Trump's tariffs have spooked the stock market. It is unclear what comes next in the trade war with China and other countries versus the U.S., with potentially large effects on global supply chains.

This does not mean you should shy away from investing in 2025. In fact, the best move will likely be to do the opposite and lean in while others are leaning out -- with technology stocks especially. The market is fearful over how the trade war will affect the profits of large tech players in 2025, which is providing a buying opportunity for investors with an eye on the long term.

Here are two technology stocks you can buy today to set yourself up for life.

The world's supplier of computer chips

Semiconductors are strategically important for the U.S. and China, as well as other nations. Without them, most of the global economy would cease to function optimally. One company is the backbone of this industry: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), otherwise known as TSMC.

TSMC builds computer chips for companies like Nvidia, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Alphabet. It has factories in Taiwan and the U.S., with plans to build more in the coming years.

The company just announced an expansion in the U.S., with an updated plan to add $100 billion in spending in the country. Nations want robust semiconductor supply chains, with the computer chips vital for cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and electric vehicles.

AI and cloud computing are where TSMC makes most of its money, though. Last quarter, 59% of revenue came from high performance computing (HPC), growing 7% quarter over quarter.

The AI market is going like gangbusters at the moment, meaning we should get even more growth from this segment in the coming quarters. In dollar terms, TSMC expects revenue to grow by more than 20% year over year in 2025.

Right now, you can buy shares at a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 16.5. This looks cheap for a company with a strong industry tailwind and a dominant position in manufacturing semiconductors.

AMZN PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts; PE = price to earnings.

Amazon's cheapest multiple ever

Another tech company with a cheap stock is a customer of TSMC: Amazon. Its stock is getting roughed up because of tariffs, but the business is well diversified and poised to succeed over the long haul. Tariffs will hurt Amazon's e-commerce sellers due to the exposure they have to Chinese manufacturing.

But the company is typically just a marketplace for goods, offering its fulfillment network, advertising, and Prime subscription services for sellers and buyers. These services will do just fine no matter if goods are sourced from China, Vietnam, or North America. It may be a bumpy road due to tariffs, but Amazon's roughly $400 billion in North American retail revenue should keep growing over the long term.

We cannot forget the business' crown jewel: Amazon Web Services (AWS). The leading cloud computing company is benefiting greatly from spending on AI, which requires a lot of computing power to train and operate.

Revenue is currently growing 19% year over year and is considerably more than $100 billion annually. Operating income reached close to $40 billion in 2024, which shows the high profit margins of the division.

With growing demand from AI and the long tailwind of cloud adoption versus on-premise data centers, AWS should be able to keep up this double-digit percentage revenue growth for many years.

Today, after a decline to start 2025, Amazon stock trades at one of its cheapest forward P/E ratios ever at 27.4. This may not look extremely cheap, but the company has a lot of runway left to expand profit margins as it scales up, with current margins of just 11% in 2024.

With AWS growing quickly, I believe margins can expand to 15% or higher within the next few years. Add on some strong revenue growth, and bottom-line earnings have a lot of room to rise in the years to come.

This makes Amazon -- along with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing -- a can't-miss stock to buy today.

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John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Brett Schafer has positions in Alphabet and Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.