Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has launched two real-time indexes tracking artificial intelligence and semiconductor companies listed in Hong Kong, while licensing the AI benchmark for planned exchange-traded funds in mainland China.
The exchange announced the HKEX Artificial Intelligence Index and HKEX Semiconductor Index on October 23. It also signed a licensing agreement with China Southern Asset Management to develop ETFs based on the AI index for mainland Chinese investors. HKEX said details of the product launch will be disclosed later.
Two technology benchmarks
The AI index measures 40 Hong Kong-listed companies with high exposure to the AI value chain. Its coverage spans five layers: chip design, data centers, AI infrastructure, AI models, and software and physical applications.
HKEX said constituents are selected and weighted using a fundamental-tilted approach intended to identify companies making meaningful investments in AI research and development and capital expenditure. The exchange’s index information page describes the benchmark as a representation of the Hong Kong-listed AI sector rather than a measure limited to model developers or software companies.
The semiconductor index tracks the 30 largest semiconductor-related companies listed in Hong Kong. It covers semiconductor manufacturing, equipment, electronic components, computing hardware and storage, according to the exchange’s index page.
Both indexes are calculated in Hong Kong dollars. They use December 31, 2020 as the base date and 10,000 as the base value, with quarterly reviews and rebalancing. HKEX says index values are disseminated every 15 seconds. The exchange’s information pages list October 21, 2026 as the release date, two days before the formal corporate announcement.
The AI benchmark is distributed under the Bloomberg code HKEXAI and Refinitiv code .HKEXAI. The semiconductor benchmark uses HKEXSEMI and .HKEXSEMI, respectively. Quarterly reviews mean constituent lists and weights can change over time. The AI index’s research-and-development and capital-spending tilt is intended to emphasize substantive exposure to the sector rather than relying only on a company’s industry label.
Mainland ETF plan
China Southern Asset Management has been licensed to issue ETFs tied to the HKEX Artificial Intelligence Index in mainland China. The parties did not disclose a product name, launch date, fee structure or expected assets under management.
That distinction matters because an index launch creates a benchmark, while an ETF requires a separate product rollout and the relevant approvals and distribution arrangements. HKEX said it would provide product-launch details in due course.
China Southern Asset Management General Manager Yang Xiaosong said the planned product would seek to make opportunities across Hong Kong’s AI value chain accessible to mainland investors through an index-based tool. The statement framed the arrangement as part of the asset manager’s international strategy and cross-market offering.
Expanding HKEX’s index business
The launches add to HKEX’s proprietary index suite as the exchange develops more benchmarks that can support index-linked investment products. Richard Leung, HKEX Group chief information officer, said the exchange wants to give investors more ways to track technology themes and participate in the region’s technology ecosystem.
The indexes also broaden HKEX’s technology coverage beyond its existing Tech 100 benchmark. That index measures large Hong Kong-listed companies exposed to technology themes, while the new benchmarks isolate AI and semiconductors as separate segments.