Asian equities surged on Thursday after strong earnings and forecasts from chip giants Micron and Qualcomm helped alleviate some concerns over the red-hot AI rally that has pushed global stocks to record highs.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index opened down 23 points, or 0.1 percent, at 23,389.

The China enterprises index was down seven points, or 0.1 percent, at 7,757 while the tech index was up 18 points, or 0.41 percent, at 4,497.

On the mainland, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index opened down 0.18 percent at 4,103.

The Shenzhen Component Index was 0.3 percent higher at 16,099 while the ChiNext Index was up 0.63 percent at 4,278.

Tech-heavy markets in Japan and South Korea rose sharply after Micron said its customers had committed US$22 billion for its memory chips, while Qualcomm anticipates US$15 billion in sales from its data centre business by 2029.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei opened up 939 points, or 1.36 percent, at 70,114 before the 225-benchmark's gains accelerated to be 2,673 points, or 3.86 percent, at 71,848 at one stage before noon as AI-related shares surged.

In Seoul, the Kospi opened up 232 points, or 2.74 percent, at 8,703.

The South Korean benchmark joined the Nikkei in pushing up to be 422 points, or 4.99 percent, at 8,893 at one stage before midday.

"Tech stocks received a massively needed shot in the arm after the bell when Micron delivered its earnings report," said Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG, noting that data was suggesting broader cooling in positioning that could challenge tech's momentum in the near term.

Investor concern that valuations for AI-related companies have become stretched following years of gains has weighed on markets in recent days, leading to volatile sessions.

Analysts though remain sceptical of a long sustained rally in AI stocks as those valuation worries linger.

"It's a positive from Micron," said Nick Twidale, chief market strategist at ATFX Global in Sydney, who expects a strong move higher on the back of the earnings.

"But I'm not sure how long the euphoria will last across the rest of the sector... I think valuation concerns will continue to weigh on sentiment moving forward." (Reuters/Xinhua)



Edited by Tony Sabine