Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing ( HKEX ) has launched two new indices, the Artificial Intelligence Index and the Semiconductor Index, to help investors capture opportunities arising from two of the most dynamic technology themes.
The stock exchange operator has also entered into a licensing agreement with China Southern Asset Management for the introduction of exchange-traded funds ( ETFs ) based on the HKEX Artificial Intelligence Index in mainland China. Details of the product launch will be announced in due course.
“Artificial intelligence and semiconductors are transforming industries and becoming increasingly important drivers of growth and innovation globally, says HKEX group chief information officer Richard Leung. “At HKEX, we are committed to continuously expanding our index suite to give investors more ways to capture these trends and participate in the growth of the region's technology ecosystem."
Commenting on the ETF agreement, Southern Asset Management general manager Yang Xiaosong says: “Through this collaboration, we will turn the opportunities across Hong Kong's AI value chain into an index-based tool that mainland investors can access conveniently. Looking ahead, we will continue to enrich our product offering for cross-market connectivity, build an investment bridge between the mainland and Hong Kong capital markets, and support two-way empowerment and a virtuous cycle between the technology sector and capital markets in a high-standard opening-up environment."
The HKEX Artificial Intelligence Index is designed to measure the performance of 40 Hong Kong-listed companies with high exposure to the AI value chain. The index provides broad exposure to a five-layer AI stack across the AI ecosystem, spanning the areas including chip design, data centres, AI infrastructure, AI models, as well as software and physical applications.
Constituents are selected and weighted using a fundamental-tilted approach, designed to identify companies with meaningful investment in AI research and development and capital expenditure. This offers investors with a representative benchmark for capturing the development of the Hong Kong-listed AI sector.
Meanwhile, the HKEX Semiconductor Index measures the performance of the 30 largest semiconductor-related companies listed in Hong Kong. The index captures exposure across multiple segments of the semiconductor industry, including semiconductor manufacturing, equipment, electronic components, computing hardware and storage, providing investors with a benchmark to track developments across the Hong Kong-listed semiconductor value chain.
The launch of the two indices further strengthens HKEX's proprietary index offering and broadens its coverage of emerging technology themes, supporting the development of new index-linked investment products and providing investors with more ways to capture opportunities in Hong Kong's markets, the stock market operator says.
