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

fell 2% in early trade on Friday, as chip-related stocks tracked

chipmaker Nvidia's ( NVDA ) sharp declines overnight, with Advantest ( ADTTF )

tanking more than 9%.

The Nikkei fell to 37,501.24 as of 0017 GMT, while

the broader Topix was down 1.2% at 2,703.57.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended sharply lower overnight,

weighed down by an 8.5% slump in chipmaker Nvidia ( NVDA ) after

its quarterly report failed to rekindle Wall Street's AI rally,

while investors focused on data pointing to a cooling U.S.

economy.

Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest ( ADTTF ), a supplier

to Nvidia ( NVDA ), tanked 9.5%, while chip-making equipment maker Tokyo

Electron ( TOELF ) slipped 3.8%.

Fujikura ( FKURF ), which makes cables for data centres,

slipped 7.56%. Its peer Furukawa Electric ( FUWAF ) lost 5.6%.

(Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Varun H K)