United Microelectronics (UMC) stock surged 5.07% in pre-market trading, riding a wave of optimism that swept through Asian semiconductor stocks.

The rally followed a record-setting session on Wall Street where U.S. chip makers, buoyed by robust earnings and guidance from Advanced Micro Devices, refueled investor appetite for exposure to artificial intelligence technology. This momentum spilled over to chip stocks across Asia, including Taiwan, where UMC is based.

Analysts note that the continued growth in AI infrastructure depends heavily on Asia's production capacity, with Taiwan's manufacturing playing a crucial role in enabling the current phase of the AI boom, contributing to the positive sentiment driving UMC and its peers higher.