South Korea's semiconductor stocks surged on Friday, extending a broader global AI rally after stronger-than-expected earnings from Amazon and Microsoft reignited optimism around artificial intelligence infrastructure spending.
SK Hynix rose as much as 28.4%, while Samsung Electronics gained 23.7%, according to the latest market data.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics also climbed nearly 30%, while Hyundai Motor advanced close to 8%. The rally helped lift the KOSPI Composite Index more than 17% to 6,546.82.
The gains followed a sharp rebound in global semiconductor stocks after blockbuster results from the two US technology giants reinforced confidence that AI-related spending remains resilient.
Amazon's cloud business exceeded expectations, while Microsoft reported stronger-than-expected Azure growth, easing concerns that demand for AI infrastructure was slowing.
The rally also spread across Japan, with major chip-related stocks posting strong gains as investors returned to the semiconductor sector following this week's sell-off driven by valuation concerns and rising competition from Chinese memory chipmakers.
The broader recovery reflects renewed investor confidence that AI-driven demand for advanced chips and cloud infrastructure remains intact, reversing part of the sharp decline seen earlier this week.
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