(Reuters) -European shares hit a record high on Thursday, boosted by chip-related companies following an overnight rally on Wall Street, while heavyweight healthcare stocks also extended their rally from the previous session.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index gained 0.7% to 568.5 points by 0711 GMT, hitting an intraday record high. Most regional bourses also climbed, with Germany leading gains with a 0.7% increase.

Technology stocks added 2.3%, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. Sentiment also got a boost after Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix signed letters of intent to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s data centres.

ASML and ASMI jumped more than 4% each, among the top STOXX gainers.

Healthcare stocks rose 1%, extending Wednesday’s rally when a U.S.-Pfizer deal on Tuesday

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