BUZZ — Tech hardware stocks lag as AI return worries weigh

* Tech hardware firms in S&P 500 index are among the worst-performing stocks this week * S&P 1500 Tech Hardware & Equipment index down 3.3% this week, compared with 1.2% fall in S&P 500 * AI infrastructure stocks have weakened this week amid concerns that debt-laden data center operators may take longer than expected to generate returns on AI investments * Leading weekly declines are networking equipment makers Lumentum Holdings and Ciena, down 2.5% and 3.2%, respectively, on Friday, after losing nearly quarter of their value up to Thursday's close * Despite this week's losses, LITE shares have more than doubled so far this year * Optical components makers Applied Optoelectronics down 3.3%, while Fabrinet falls 2.1% * Server maker Hewlett Packard Enterprise, optical component maker Coherent, electronics manufacturer Flex and AI server maker Super Micro Computer down between 3.6% and 4.4% (Reporting by Darshan Kumar in Bengaluru) ((darshan.kumar@thomsonreuters.com)