Global semiconductor stocks advanced, as comments by Nvidia Corp Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang at Davos helped reinforce investor enthusiasm for the artificial intelligence trade.<\/p>\n
Memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co gained as much as 5% Thursday to an all-time high, helping drive South Korea\u2019s benchmark Kospi above 5 000 for the first time. That came after the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose more than 3% to a fresh record on Wednesday, with a boost from Nvidia.<\/p>\n
The gains came amid broad risk-on trade after US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of tariffs on some European nations over backing for Greenland. Huang further fueled that rally with his comments to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, saying that the global AI buildout will require trillions of dollars of investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavos is all about AI Revolution,\u201d Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note. \u201cWhile there are clearly geopolitical worries in a constantly changing global landscape, the one thing that is clear from Davos is that the US tech world is dominating the AI Revolution, with China a distant second.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The AI boom is riding high into 2026, defying concerns about lofty valuations as well as tensions between various nations. Earnings due later Thursday from Intel Corp. may shed further light on crucial industry capex plans, along with results next week from Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expansion of AI infrastructure and a surge in data storage demand are further tightening overall supply,\u201d said Ha SeokKeun, chief investment officer at Eugene Asset Management Co. \u201cThe market is now increasingly pricing in these strengthened industry fundamentals.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Among the day\u2019s other notable moves, shares of Disco Corp. surged 17% in Tokyo after the chip equipment maker posted better-than-expected earnings. Asia\u2019s largest stock Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. gained as much as 1.7%.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s tech shares were mixed, following strong recent gains driven by Beijing\u2019s push for tech self-reliance. Huang is planning to travel to China in late January as he works to reopen a crucial market for Nvidia\u2019s chips.<\/p>\n
While AI\u2019s funding needs are massive, there seems to be no shortage of investors willing to pile in through private deals as well as in the markets. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has been meeting with top investors in the Middle East to line up funding for an investment round of at least $50 billion, at a valuation of about $750 billion to $830 billion.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n
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