Chip-making index heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics surged, leading South Korean stocks higher Friday on renewed enthusiasm over AI-related spending. The Kospi jumped 17%, prompting a brief trading halt on both the main board and the tech-heavy Kosdaq. SK Hynix rose 20% and Samsung Electronics climbed 25%.

The rally followed an 8% jump in the U.S. PHLX “SOX” Semiconductor Sector index Thursday, driven by strong earnings from major U.S. tech firms. Amazon.com reported accelerating cloud-computing sales and data-center investments, while Microsoft posted blockbuster cloud revenue growth, easing concerns over the viability of massive AI infrastructure spending.

“Stronger results from a leading e-commerce and cloud service provider after the close [Thursday] reinforced the view that AI-related capital expenditure continues to generate robust demand and attractive returns,” Commerzbank Research analysts said.

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 5.4%, with Furukawa Electric and Advantest each climbing 18%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5%, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.8%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.6%.