(Updates with closing prices)

By Kevin Buckland

TOKYO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

ended slightly higher on Wednesday, buoyed in the final

half-hour of trade by stronger-than-expected orders at Dutch

chip equipment maker ASML.

The ‌Nikkei had languished with losses as deep as 1%

throughout the session as ​a sharply stronger yen weighed

on Japan's exporter-heavy stock market. ‍However, the

announcement of ASML's bookings - the most-watched

metric ⁠in the ⁠chip industry - instantly saw the index erase

those declines.

The Nikkei ended up 0.05%% ‌at 53,358.71.

The broader Topix, however, ​did not benefit as much,

and finished the day 0.8% lower at 3,535.49. Value shares

sank ⁠1.1%, outpacing the 0.5% fall ‍among ​growth stocks

.

Artificial intelligence-related stocks had already been

outperforming the broader market, notably cable makers Fujikura ( FKURF )

and Furukawa Electric ( FUWAF ), which ‍soared 9.3% and

11.7%, respectively. That followed news overnight that Meta

Platforms ( META ) will pay Corning up to $6 billion to provide

fiber-optic cables for its AI data centres.

"In response to this, expectations are growing, particularly

among major technology companies, that ​the ‍spread of AI will

lead to solid profits," said Wataru Akiyama, a strategist at

Nomura Securities.

"As earnings season ​picks up pace in both Japan and the

U.S., confirming the strength of results for AI and

semiconductor-related stocks will be crucial."

SoftBank Group climbed 3.7% on media reports it is

in discussions to invest up to $30 billion more in ChatGPT maker

OpenAI.

However, Shin-Etsu Chemical ( SHECF ), ​a silicon wafer

producer, tumbled 11.2% following disappointing financial

results.

Automakers posted losses as the strong yen eroded the value

of offshore revenues. Toyota ( TM ) dived 3.2% ‍and Mazda ( MZDAF )

tumbled 3.9%.