Asian stocks advanced on Friday as the artificial intelligence boom regained momentum, while the dollar held near a six-week high after upbeat US economic data left traders trimming bets on rate cuts there.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index opened 171 points, or 0.6 percent, higher at 27,094.

The China enterprises index was 63 points, or 0.7 percent, up at 9,330 and the tech index was 55 points, or 0.9 percent, up at 5,883.

Across the border, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was up 14 points, or 0.35 percent, at 4,127 and the Shenzhen Component Index was 67 points, or 0.47 percent, up at 14,374.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was up 0.78 percent at 3,394.

The Star Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, was 0.9 percent up at 1,841 while the Star 50 Index, which tracks the largest stocks listed on the board that also meet certain liquidity requirements, opened 1.05 percent higher at 1,509.

Oil prices were nursing losses and safe-haven gold and silver fell after US President Donald Trump adopted a wait-and-see posture towards the unrest in Iran, having earlier threatened intervention.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.5 percent and hovered near a record high hit in the previous session, as strong results from chipmaker TSMC breathed new life into the AI trade.

Overnight, gains in technology and financial stocks sent Wall Street higher, with Nasdaq futures up 0.22 percent in the Asian session.

S&P 500 futures similarly tacked on 0.15 percent.

"We ⁠know there's lingering doubts about the spend around capex and AI more broadly, and I guess with the TSMC report yesterday being pretty solid and sounding optimistic, it certainly provided a much needed shot in the arm for those AI names which have been struggling on Wall Street in recent months," said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG.

"I wouldn't say it galvanised or basically shot them higher, but it certainly provided some much needed reassurance there, that everything remains on track."

Japan's Nikkei fell 0.42 percent, weighed down in part by a recovery in the yen which has retreated from an 18-month low. (Reuters/Xinhua)