Asian equity markets rallied sharply on Thursday, driven by robust earnings reports and optimistic forecasts from US semiconductor giants Micron Technology and Qualcomm.
The results helped dispel growing investor anxiety that the artificial intelligence spending boom was losing momentum, providing a much-needed boost to risk appetite across the region.
Japan's Nikkei 225 also climbed 1%, as investors reacted to a stronger-than-expected sales forecast from Micron.
The MSCI broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1.3% in early trading.
The rally was particularly pronounced in South Korea, where the Kospi index surged more than 5% at the open, reflecting the heavy weighting of semiconductor exporters in the benchmark.
Japan's Nikkei 225 also climbed 1%, as investors reacted to a stronger-than-expected sales forecast from Micron.
Micron's guidance signaled sustained demand for high-bandwidth memory, a critical component for AI servers, while Qualcomm's performance underscored the breadth of the chip sector's strength.