Asian equities tumbled in red on Friday as concerns over artificial intelligence led stocks deepened, with Japan and Taiwan recording the sharpest declines. Additionally, growing tensions in the Middle East also kept investors cautious, lifting oil prices while US futures traded lower.Japan’s Nikkei 225 led the regional losses, plunging 5.8% to 62,945.97 after computer chipmakers and other AI-linked companies witnessed broad-based selling. Taiwan’s benchmark also dropped more than 5%, while trading remained shut in South Korea.Elsewhere in the region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 2% to 24,514.29, China’s Shanghai Composite fell 1.6% to 3,818.59, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.7% to finish at 8,775.70.The weakness in AI-related shares reflects growing investor concerns that the sector’s sharp rally may have outpaced fundamentals. Markets are also weighing whether demand for advanced computer memory and processors will remain strong if artificial intelligence fails to generate the profits and productivity gains many investors have been expecting. However, Indian equities, meanwhile, traded in green with benchmark indices adding almost 1%. Around 11:30 am IST, BSE Sensex was trading at 77,903.91 while NSE Nifty50 crossed 24,250 levels.The cautious mood followed a mixed session on Wall Street. Although nearly three-quarters of companies in the S&P 500 advanced after reporting quarterly earnings that exceeded analysts’ expectations, losses in major technology stocks pulled the broader market lower. The S&P 500 ended down 0.5, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.5%.Among individual stocks, Nvidia fell 2.4%, emerging as the biggest drag on the S&P 500. Other companies that have ridden the AI wave also retreated.Micron Technology dropped 5.6%, bringing its gains for the year below 199%. SanDisk slid 12.6%, though it remains up 494% this year, while Western Digital lost 9.2% but is still higher by 171% for the year.In commodity markets, oil prices extended their gains as investors monitored the worsening conflict in the Middle East. Concerns that the war with Iran could disrupt tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz and interrupt crude exports from the Persian Gulf continued to support prices.Brent crude rose 1.1% to USD 85.13 a barrel, while US benchmark crude gained 1.3% to USD 79.95 a barrel.