Asia’s tech-heavy markets slumped Friday as renewed fears of tougher regulatory scrutiny and slower AI infrastructure growth extended a Wall Street technology sell-off, triggering the largest US equity decline since a tariff-driven crash about 18 months ago. South Korea’s KOSPI tumbled more than 8% intraday and hit circuit breakers; Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell nearly 7% at its low. Market participants said chipmakers and data-center equipment suppliers in Korea and Japan were especially vulnerable a

Asia’s tech-heavy markets slumped Friday as renewed fears of tougher regulatory scrutiny and slower AI infrastructure growth extended a Wall Street technology sell-off, triggering the largest US equity decline since a tariff-driven crash about 18 months ago. South Korea’s KOSPI tumbled more than 8% intraday and hit circuit breakers; Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell nearly 7% at its low. Market participants said chipmakers and data-center equipment suppliers in Korea and Japan were especially vulnerable after steep losses Wednesday–Thursday. Michael McCarthy, CEO of online broker Moomoo Australia & New Zealand, said market sentiment has shifted materially and the recent heavy selling reflects that change; Nick Ferres, CIO at Vantage Point, said semiconductor and memory stocks face a potentially brutal session.