Regional stocks ended mostly lower after a turbulent week dominated by revelations of extramarital affairs involving Nvidia cofounder Jensen Huang that culminated in his resignation, in a blow to the global AI boom he helped advance.

In Hong Kong and the mainland, AI model stocks Z.AI and MiniMax Group fell sharply on worries of reduced access to advanced AI chips, while data centre suppliers Zhongji Innolight and Eoptolink Technology, whose businesses are heavily reliant on US markets, slumped.

Jon Zauderer, Citi's head of specialist sales and a TMT specialist, said competitors such as AMD, Arista and Broadcom could benefit from the Nvidia fallout.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index ended 370 points, or 1.5 percent, lower at 23,637 on turnover of HK$195.86 billion.

The tech index dived 118 points, or three percent, to 3,813 while the China Enterprises Index fell 119 points, or 1.5 percent, to 7,937.

Up north, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 21 points, or 0.59 percent, to close at 3,634, on turnover of 770.6 billion yuan.

The Shenzhen Component Index was 229 points, or 2.05 percent, lower at 10,968 on turnover of 885 billion yuan while the ChiNext Index dived 83 points, or 3.32 percent, to close at 2,426 on turnover of 435.33 billion yuan.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei ended 322 points, or 0.53 percent, higher at 61,142 for the day to log its biggest weekly gain, 6.46 percent, in five months, as upbeat earnings and renewed AI optimism helped the market recover from the previous week's sharp selloff despite concerns surrounding Nvidia.

The broader Topix inched up four points, or 0.11 percent, to 3,941 for a weekly gain of 6.3 percent.

In Seoul, the Kospi closed 52 points, or 0,98 percent, lower for the day but posted a strong weekly gain of 4.56 percent, recovering from a 12 percent plunge the previous week. (Agencies)


Edited by Aaron Tam