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AI stock gains return in Asia as memory demand outlook firms
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 4.7% for the week, and South Korea’s KOSPI gained 22% in 10 days amid an AI chip and memory rally.
AI related stocks have rebounded in global markets after a prior pullback tied to inflation concerns and fears of an AI bubble, according to a Bloomberg report cited by LiveMint Markets.
In Asia, Japanese and South Korean equities logged some of their strongest weekly gains, with the chip heavy Nikkei 225 Stock Average up 4.7% for the week and Topix extending a record run, while the KOSPI surged 22% in 10 days on the AI chip rally, LiveMint Markets reported.
LiveMint Markets also pointed to commentary from Asset Management One chief strategist Hitoshi Asaoka, who said hyperscaler money flowing into hardware is translating into stronger sales and profit growth for hardware companies, a reversal from steep losses earlier in the year.
The renewed optimism is linked in part to Elon Musk’s X posts emphasizing that memory, not compute, will be a limiting factor as AI shifts toward more complex agentic roles, LiveMint Markets said. The piece added that memory and storage demand is already high and could intensify, citing memory chip makers including SanDisk, SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron as drivers of the rally, and noting that SK Hynix said the AI boom has “redefined the memory chip business for good” and that CEO Kwak Noh-Jung told Bloomberg customers are adjusting through the demand shift.
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