Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) firms are leading a wave of listings in Hong Kong, aiming to capitalize on recent market momentum.
At least 25 companies, of which about half are technology firms, debuted their shares in the territory last month, making it the busiest month for deals since November 2019, data compiled by Bloomberg showed.
Another 10 companies are set to start trading in Hong Kong this month.
Photo: Reuters
Beijing’s support for the local semiconductor industry amid the global AI race is encouraging firms to accelerate expansion and fundraising plans. Recent blockbuster performances in some Chinese AI-related companies also underscore insatiable demand for future national champions that might rival the likes of Nvidia Corp.
AI firm MiniMax Group Inc’s (稀宇科技) offering is already several times subscribed after orders began yesterday.
Other companies planning to list in Hong Kong this month include image sensor manufacturer OmniVision Integrated Circuits Group (豪威集成電路) and memory device maker GigaDevice Semiconductor Inc (兆易創新).
“Interest on these AI names will continue in early 2026,” UOB Kay Hian Holdings Ltd (大華繼顯控股) executive director Steven Leung (梁偉源) said.
“It will benefit from investors switching from US AI names on recent worry of AI bubble, and obviously it’s also driven by expectation for favorable policies by the Chinese government on the sector,” Leung added.
The performances of recent IPOs in Hong Kong have been mixed.
Crypto exchange Hashkey Holdings Ltd, whose retail tranche was oversubscribed by nearly 400 times, fell on the first day of trading.
Meanwhile, shares of software producer Nuobikan Artificial Intelligence Technology (Chengdu) Co (諾比侃人工智) have surged more than 360 percent since listing on Tuesday last week.
After several years flying high as Asia’s best Nvidia Corp proxy, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is increasingly vying with other artificial intelligence (AI) stocks for investor attention. Stock traders are chasing a wider array of beneficiaries as mainstream usage of AI creates demand for hardware beyond the most-advanced chips TSMC makes for Nvidia. Subthemes from the deepening memory crunch to advances in robotics are also luring bids. At the same time, investment caps on single stocks are pushing funds to diversify, while retail investors long familiar with TSMC through its US depositary receipts are being offered a broader set of
Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment supplier ASML Holding NV yesterday said that it is planning to hire an additional 1,000 people in Taiwan this year in response to growing demand from clients. ASML had previously planned to recruit 600 people this year, but that the plan has been adjusted upward, ASML vice president and ASML Taiwan general manager Grace Wang (汪佳慧) told reporters. ASML has a workforce of more than 4,500 in Taiwan, accounting for about 10 percent of its global total, Wang said. This year’s recruitment campaign would focus on adding people in the customer support, manufacturing and supply chain domains to assist ASML
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
Nvidia Corp yesterday announced that CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) would attend an employee meeting in Taipei tomorrow to celebrate the launch of the company’s Taiwan headquarters project. Huang would attend a gathering at the site of Nvidia’s planned headquarters in Beitou Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區), the company said in a statement. After arriving in Taiwan on Saturday last week, Huang told reporters that he plans to meet with Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), and would attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Nvidia’s Taiwan headquarters tomorrow. Nvidia has not yet applied