Samsung Asset Management said Thursday that its KODEX US AI Optical Communication Network ETF has ranked first in returns among domestically listed overseas exchange-traded funds since its listing, excluding leveraged products.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX), the KODEX US AI Optical Communication Network ETF posted a return of 15.4% from its listing on March 31 through the previous trading day. Individual investors' net purchases exceeded 39 billion won ($28 million) over the same period, indicating rapidly growing interest in artificial intelligence optical communication investments.
The ETF covers a broad range of core companies across the data transmission value chain, including computing and switching, optical conversion, networking, and backbone infrastructure. As of the previous trading day, major holdings include Lumentum at 23.7%, Ciena at 21.9%, and Coherent at 18.2%.
The "data bottleneck" problem has recently emerged as a key variable in the AI infrastructure market. When thousands of GPUs simultaneously exchange data, network performance fails to keep pace, dragging down overall computing efficiency.
Investment focus is shifting accordingly. Beyond simply securing GPUs, networking technology that enhances connectivity efficiency between GPUs is gaining prominence as a new competitive edge.
Optical communication technology, which converts electrical signals into light to enable ultra-fast, low-power data transmission, is establishing itself as essential infrastructure in AI data centers. Its importance is growing as transmission speeds of 1.6 terabits per second or higher are required to connect tens of thousands of GPUs.
"Infrastructure provides energy as a power source, and networks are completed through optical communication, making this a differentiated product in terms of connectivity," said Kim Cheon-heung, a fund manager at Samsung Asset Management. "For investors focused on the growth potential of the US AI industry, an optical communication ETF that addresses data speed limitations could be a suitable investment alternative."