Seoul stocks experienced sharp gains late Thursday morning, with the benchmark KOSPI rising 2.42 percent, as investors responded to Alphabet's better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, driven by strong cloud business growth and increased AI capital expenditures, despite a dip in major U.S. indexes.
TSMC's CFO Wendell Huang announced an additional $100 billion investment, totaling $265 billion, to accelerate capacity at its Arizona factory. This expansion, driven by a multi-year AI demand megatrend, includes converting 5nm to 3nm capacity and developing 2nm technology, despite higher U.S. construction costs.
TSMC is accelerating capacity at its Arizona factory, committing an additional $100 billion to expand its U.S. chipmaking footprint, driven by a multi-year surge in AI demand and strong government support, despite higher construction costs.
TSMC announced June revenue surged 67.9% year-on-year to NT$398.27 billion, pushing first-half revenue to NT$2.4 trillion. Q2 revenue of NT$1.27 trillion surpassed analyst forecasts, driven by robust AI demand and global manufacturing expansion.
Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML reported better-than-expected quarterly results, driven by strong AI-related investments, leading the company to raise its full-year 2026 net sales and gross margin outlook. The firm also plans significant production capacity increases despite ongoing US-China tech tensions.
Moore Threads and Hygon project 135.1%-149.1% and 55.6%-70.2% revenue growth, respectively, in H1 2026, driven by China's surging demand for AI computing power amid US export controls.
أعلنت شركة تايوان لصناعة أشباه الموصلات "تي إس إم سي" عن ارتفاع إيرادات الربع الثاني بنسبة 36% لتصل إلى مستوى قياسي جديد، مدعومة بالطلب المتزايد على تطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي. وتجاوزت الإيرادات تقديرات المحللين، مما يعكس قوة الشركة كمورد رئيسي لشركات التكنولوجيا الكبرى.
SK Hynix shares dropped over 15% in Seoul, marking its worst trading day, following a strong Nasdaq debut. Investors are booking profits and assessing AI memory chip demand against the stock's recent surge, creating valuation uncertainty.
SK Hynix shares dropped over 12% in Seoul Monday following a strong Nasdaq debut Friday. Investors are weighing AI memory chip demand against valuation concerns and profit-taking, creating a discount between its US and Korean listings.
SK Hynix shares dropped over 10% in Seoul after a strong Nasdaq debut, as investors took profits and debated AI chip demand versus stock valuation. Analysts cited confusion over fair pricing and a discount rate between US and Korean listings.
Renewed Middle East tensions, including U.S.-Iran military confrontation and disruption of shipments via the Strait of Hormuz, have sent oil prices higher. Meanwhile, AI demand is described as "almost unlimited," though U.S. workers are calling for greater accountability and equitable sharing of AI wealth.
Despite recent volatility in chip stocks and some companies renting out excess AI capacity, AI executives assert that demand for chips and compute power remains exceptionally high, with "almost unlimited" potential and energy availability as the only real limiter.
Seoul shares closed higher Thursday, with the KOSPI index rising 0.62% to 7,291.91, driven by institutional buying. Retail investors sold heavily amid concerns over AI demand outlook and Middle East geopolitical tensions. The Korean won weakened against the U.S. dollar.
Seoul shares closed higher Thursday, with the KOSPI index rising 0.62% to 7,291.91. Institutional buying helped offset retail selling, despite concerns over AI demand outlook and Middle East geopolitical tensions.
The IMF has lowered its 2026 global growth forecast to 3% due to the energy shock from the US-Iran war, despite a tech-driven boom. Inflation is also expected to rise. Oil prices surged amid renewed US strikes on Iran.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised South Korea's economic growth forecast for 2024 to 2.6%, up from 1.9% in April, driven by strong global AI-related demand. The ADB also projects stable private consumption and expects the semiconductor industry to offset global economic pressures.
Cybersecurity stocks like CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks have seen significant gains, driven by their perceived role in the AI boom. This shift from being seen as basic software to AI beneficiaries highlights the growing demand for secure AI implementation.
Console prices are rising due to AI-driven demand for semiconductors. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have seen significant price hikes, with the PS6 potentially costing $1,000. Sales have dropped, and cloud gaming may offer an alternative.
China's manufacturing activity expanded more than anticipated in June, with the official PMI rising to 50.3. Growth was primarily fueled by surging global demand for AI technology and strong exports, offsetting weak domestic consumption and a struggling real estate sector. Economists note an imbalance between resilient supply and muted demand.
AI demand for data centers is causing price increases for Microsoft's Xbox and Surface, and Apple's MacBooks, Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro. Separately, xAI's Grok chatbot reportedly sees "well over half" its traffic from NSFW activities, including generating porn and erotica, according to The Information.
Tech hardware prices, including Steam Machines, Surface devices, MacBooks, and Xbox consoles, are significantly increasing due to severe component shortages driven by the AI data center boom, making expensive products the new reality for consumers.
Micron Technology's stock surged after reporting blockbuster fiscal third-quarter earnings, with revenue more than quadrupling, driven by the AI boom's demand for memory chips. The company also secured $22 billion in long-term contracts, boosting confidence in the semiconductor sector.
LG Innotek plans to significantly expand its semiconductor substrate business, aiming for 1 trillion won in operating profit by 2031, driven by AI demand. The company unveiled new FC-BGA products for high-performance computing.
Chipmaker Nvidia is reportedly planning a $20 billion bond offering to fund AI investments and refinance debt. This move highlights strong investor appetite for AI infrastructure and benefits Bitcoin miners diversifying into AI hosting.
