Himax Technologies Inc. (HIMX) witnessed a remarkable surge of 6.36% in its stock price intraday on Thursday, driven by growing optimism surrounding the company's prospects in the optical computing and artificial intelligence (AI) space.

Himax's breakthrough as the exclusive micro-lens array supplier for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSM) cutting-edge silicon photonics technology has positioned the company as a key beneficiary in the burgeoning AI-driven optical computing race. With mass production validation underway, major players like AMD (AMD) and potentially Nvidia (NVDA) are expected to adopt Himax's advanced Co-Packed Optics (CPO) technology in their next-generation computing solutions.

The stock's rally was further fueled by bullish option flow, with call volume soaring 10 times above normal levels and implied volatility spiking over 23 points to 98.31%. Analysts at Baird have taken notice, doubling their price target for Himax from $7.00 to $15.00, citing the company's growing presence in CPO and Augmented Reality (AR) applications. Additionally, Himax's solid Q3 performance, backed by strong automotive and tablet sales, has reinforced confidence in the company's ability to capitalize on rising demand.