Shares in chipmakers underpinning AI boom rocket in first half of 2026

Value of some chip manufacturers have tripled, or more, driving Asia Pacific stock markets sharply higher

Shares in chipmakers have surged in the first half of this year as investors piled into companies that make the hardware underpinning the AI boom, according to analysis.

Investors have driven up the value of semiconductor and memory chip manufacturers, whose profits have soared during 2026, at the expense of some large software companies, which have fallen out of favour this year.