THE HAGUE, July 15 (Xinhua) — Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML on Wednesday raised its 2026 sales outlook, citing strong AI-driven demand for advanced chipmaking equipment.
ASML President and CEO Christophe Fouquet said the company now expects net sales in 2026 to reach between 43 billion euros (about 49.1 billion U.S. dollars) and 45 billion euros (51.4 billion dollars), with a gross margin of 54 percent to 56 percent. The revised guidance is well above the company’s earlier forecast of 34 billion euros (38.8 billion dollars) to 39 billion euros (44.5 billion dollars) issued earlier this year.
“Ongoing AI-related investments and continued progress in AI technologies are driving demand for advanced logic and memory chips, further strengthening the semiconductor industry’s growth outlook,” Fouquet said in a press release accompanying the company’s second-quarter results.
The Veldhoven-based company reported second-quarter net sales of 9.3 billion euros (10.6 billion dollars), exceeding market expectations, while net profit reached 2.9 billion euros (3.3 billion dollars). For the third quarter, ASML expects net sales of between 11 billion euros (12.5 billion dollars) and 12 billion euros (13.7 billion dollars).
ASML is the world’s leading supplier of commercial extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, which are essential for manufacturing the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips.
