Asian stocks surged Friday as investors returned to tech shares after strong Microsoft and Amazon earnings boosted AI optimism. South Korea's Kospi soared 16%, rebounding from a three-day rout, while Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped over 6%. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose broadly.

Chipmakers led gains. SK Hynix surged 25% for its best day on record, and Samsung Electronics rallied over 20%. Japanese peers Advantest, Tokyo Electron, and Disco advanced 9-18%. SoftBank Group climbed 9% as an AI proxy via Arm Holdings.

The rally followed Wall Street's semiconductor index posting its biggest one-day gain in over a year. Microsoft added roughly $450 billion in market value in a single session, while Amazon jumped nearly 10% on accelerating cloud revenue. Apple fell 6% after-hours on supply warnings.

Investors awaited the Bank of Japan's policy decision, with rates expected unchanged at 1%. Focus remains on Governor Kazuo Ueda's guidance on future hikes and yen commentary after the currency's biggest gain in two years.