ASE Technology Holding (ASX) shares surged 5.43% in pre-market trading on Thursday, as investors cheered a blockbuster second-quarter earnings report that handily beat analyst expectations and a significant upward revision to its capital expenditure plan.

The semiconductor packaging and testing giant reported Q2 diluted earnings per share of NT$4.61 (approximately US$0.29), far exceeding the FactSet analyst consensus of NT$3.82. Revenue for the quarter reached NT$191.06 billion, up 26.7% year-over-year and also above the NT$188.94 billion estimate. Net income attributable to shareholders more than doubled to NT$21.07 billion from NT$7.52 billion a year earlier, driven by robust growth in its Assembly, Testing and Materials (ATM) segment, which saw revenue jump 36.3% year-over-year.

Adding to the bullish sentiment, the company announced it is raising its 2026 capital expenditure by US$2 billion to approximately US$10.5 billion, citing strong demand. The additional investment will be split between facilities and equipment, with the company noting that revenue from its leading-edge advanced packaging (LEAP) business is tracking ahead of its prior guidance of US$3.5 billion. CFO Joseph Tung also indicated the company aims to double its LEAP business revenue in 2027, underscoring confidence in sustained momentum fueled by AI-driven demand for new hardware, connectivity, and storage devices.