SoftBank Shares Surge as AI Rally Pushes Nikkei 225 to Record Highs
SoftBank AI rally boosts Japanese tech stocks as Nikkei 225 hits record highs after strong global AI market gains. SoftBank Shares Jump as AI Rally Lifts Japan Markets Japanese tech stocks surged on Thursday after markets reopened from the Golden Week holiday. Investors quickly reacted to the global artificial intelligence boom. As a result, the Nikkei 225 reached fresh record highs.
The biggest winner was SoftBank Group. Its shares jumped more than 16%. The sharp rise marked the company’s best trading day since 2020. In addition, several semiconductor firms posted strong gains. Advantest climbed nearly 8%. Meanwhile, Tokyo Electron surged over 9%. Chipmaker Renesas Electronics also rose almost 14%.
Global AI Boom Fuels Japanese Stocks
The rally followed another strong session on Wall Street. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite hit a new record overnight. Investors continued buying AI-linked stocks across global markets.
For example, AMD soared nearly 19% in the United States. At the same time, Arm Holdings gained 13%. Server maker Super Micro Computer jumped more than 24%.
Billy Leung from Global X ETFs said Japanese markets were catching up after several closed trading days. Therefore, investors rushed into AI and semiconductor shares once trading resumed. He also explained that Japanese companies offer strong exposure to the growing AI chip industry. Consequently, investors targeted firms connected to semiconductors and data centers.
SoftBank Benefits From OpenAI Connection
SoftBank gained extra attention because of its links to OpenAI and Arm Holdings. Analysts believe the company could benefit from rising demand for AI infrastructure. Moreover, investors expect major growth in data centers and AI systems. Businesses now need stronger servers and advanced processors to support AI tools. This trend continues to drive optimism in global tech markets.
Rolf Bulk from The Futurum Group said demand for AI infrastructure remains strong. He noted that modern AI systems require powerful CPUs for processing and coordination tasks.
AI Infrastructure Demand Keeps Growing
Experts believe AI inference systems will increase demand for advanced chips. These systems help AI models make decisions and process real time tasks. AMD recently forecasted huge growth in the data center CPU market. The company expects the market to reach $120 billion by 2030. In addition, analysts predict annual growth above 35%.
As a result, investors continue backing companies tied to AI hardware and infrastructure. Japan’s latest stock rally shows that global enthusiasm for artificial intelligence remains very strong.
