Some hedge funds in Asia are having the kind of year that makes career highlight reels. Multiple funds focused on AI hardware and semiconductors have crossed the 100% return threshold in just the first five months of 2026, riding a wave of demand for chips, memory, and optical components.
The standout numbers are hard to ignore. E20 Capital’s $2B Global Opportunity Investment Fund posted a net gain of 136% through May. WT Asset Management’s long-short China Focus fund returned 103% over the same period, while its long-only fund clocked in at 67.5%. Trivest Advisors recorded 88.9%.
The AI hardware trade is carrying everything
Look at the regional benchmarks. South Korea’s KOSPI has surged nearly 100% year-to-date. Taiwan’s weighted index climbed 53%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 31%. The Shanghai Composite hit a decade high.
Individual names tell the story even more vividly. Hua Hong Semiconductor has been a major beneficiary of the boom. Zhipu AI, the Chinese artificial intelligence company also known as Knowledge Atlas, saw its shares climb more than 1,000% after listing in Hong Kong in January 2026.
