The AI boom dominated the Japanese and South Korean stock markets in the first half of the year, with South Korean stocks doubling in six months. The second half of the year may see AI infrastructure investment take the lead.

According to Mars Finance, the first half of the year officially ended on June 30th for the Japanese and South Korean stock markets. Looking back at the first half of the year, AI investment was undoubtedly a hot theme. Memory chip stocks, represented by Samsung and SK Hynix, saw gains of 180% and 310% respectively. These two companies have significant weighting in the South Korean stock market, driving a cumulative increase of approximately 100% in the first half of the year, repeatedly setting new highs. On the other hand, driven by multiple factors such as corporate reforms, the AI industry, and the booming semiconductor supply chain, the Nikkei 225 index rose by approximately 40% this year, and the Topix index rose by approximately 17%. Technology stocks were the main driving force, with chip testing equipment manufacturer Advantest rising by approximately 65% this year, and chip manufacturing equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron rising by over 120%. It is worth noting that recently, in the Asia-Pacific and US stock markets, upstream AI infrastructure equipment and raw materials, benefiting from the "South Korea's 800 trillion won expansion plan," have surged. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, "AI infrastructure" may become a shifting focus within the same AI theme.