A wave of buying swept through semiconductor stocks on Tuesday, ignited by Meta's AI agent app Muse, with the benchmark index tracking the Huabao Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Board Artificial Intelligence ETF (589520) gapping higher at the open. The index peaked at an intraday gain of 5.11% during morning trade before closing up 2.98%, marking a sixth consecutive daily advance for the fund.
Among constituent stocks, SoC (system-on-chip) concept names led the charge. Espressif Systems surged more than 10%, Bestechnic climbed over 8%, and Amlogic advanced past 6%. Meanwhile, Giantec Semiconductor jumped 9.74%, IntSig Information rose 8.79%, and heavyweight CPU maker Hygon Information, Montage Technology, and Kingsoft Office also delivered standout performances.
On the news front, Meta's personal AI agent app Muse, launched less than two weeks ago, has already surpassed ChatGPT's early-stage performance in both download numbers and daily active users. Market analysts believe Muse's explosive growth signals that AI agent applications are rapidly penetrating mainstream consumers, moving beyond developers and tech enthusiasts.
The fundamental difference between Muse and ordinary chatbots lies in its architecture: each user is assigned a cloud-based virtual computer that continues executing tasks in the background even when the app is closed. This transforms AI from a one-off Q&A tool into a 24/7 continuous execution engine.
As AI agents expand into smartphones, earbuds, smart homes, and IoT devices, the cloud-based large model industry enters a new phase where edge hardware is no longer an optional accessory but the core gateway to building a profitable AI ecosystem. Major tech companies are accelerating deployments of AI phones, AI glasses, and desktop robots, propelling edge AI from technical validation into large-scale commercial rollout.
SoC chips integrate CPU, GPU, memory interfaces, and communication modules onto a single die. In the age of intelligent agents, they serve not only as the "brain" of terminal devices but also as the "execution hub" for agents running locally. Both chip value—through integrated stronger CPU and NPU cores—and shipment volumes—as agents permeate more device categories—are expected to rise in tandem.
Looking at specific players, Espressif Systems focuses on Wi-Fi chips with wide application in smart homes and wearables. Amlogic holds a solid set-top box business foundation and is deeply aligned with Google's edge AI strategy, serving as a core SoC supplier to Google's smart home ecosystem—its chips power Google AI speakers, smart cameras, and video doorbells. Bestechnic specializes in AI glasses and smartwatch wearables, with comprehensive client coverage in the Bluetooth earphone market.
Data shows that Espressif Systems, Amlogic, Bestechnic, Loongson Technology, Anlogic Information, and Fudan Microelectronics are all SoC concept stocks. As of end-August, their respective weightings in the benchmark index tracked by the Huabao Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Board Artificial Intelligence ETF (589520) stood at 2.49%, 6.12%, 2.54%, 3.34%, 0.78%, and 3.39%.
A flagship for domestic substitution and technological self-reliance
The Huabao Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Board Artificial Intelligence ETF (589520) and its feeder funds (Class A: 024560, Class C: 024561) focus on the domestic AI supply chain, holding 30 large-cap STAR Market companies that provide fundamental resources, technologies, and application support for AI. Semiconductor companies account for 64% of the portfolio weight, offering strong offensive characteristics. By popular concept classification, GPU-related names comprise 40% of holdings, while AI application stocks represent 20%. With a 20% daily price fluctuation limit, the ETF provides low-barrier access to the STAR Market's breakthrough momentum. Additionally, the fund is eligible for margin trading and short selling, making it an efficient one-click tool for investing in domestic computing power. Concept weight comparisons reference the GPU Index (8841701.WI) and AI Application Index (980112.CNI).
Fee disclosure: The ETF does not charge sales service fees. Authorized participants may charge commissions up to 0.5%, which includes fees levied by stock exchanges and registration institutions. On-exchange trading fees are determined by actual securities broker charges.
Risk warning: The Huabao Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Board Artificial Intelligence ETF passively tracks the STAR AI Index, with a base date of December 30, 2022, and a publication date of July 25, 2024. Index constituents are adjusted periodically according to index methodology, and historical backtested performance does not indicate future index returns. Individual stocks and index constituents mentioned herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute investment advice of any form, nor do they represent the holdings or trading activities of any fund under the manager's umbrella. The fund manager assesses the ETF's risk level as R4 (medium-high risk), suitable for aggressive investors (C4 and above); please refer to the sales institution for suitability matching opinions. Any information appearing in this article—including but not limited to stocks, comments, forecasts, charts, indicators, theories, or any form of expression—is for reference only. Investors are solely responsible for their own investment decisions. Furthermore, any views, analyses, or forecasts in this article do not constitute investment advice to readers, and no liability is assumed for direct or indirect losses arising from the use of this content. Fund investing carries risks; past performance does not guarantee future results, and the performance of other funds managed by the manager does not constitute a guarantee of this fund's performance. Invest with caution.
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