ASML bumps 2026 outlook on AI demand

ASML lifted its 2026 sales forecast to as much as €40 billion after saying artificial intelligence spending is pushing chip demand ahead of supply. (asml.com) The Dutch company said on April 15 that first-quarter 2026 net sales were €8.8 billion, gross margin was 53.0%, and net income was €2.8 billion. It now expects full-year 2026 sales of €36 billion to €40 billion, up from its earlier €34 billion to €39 billion range. (asml.com) (finance.yahoo.com) ASML makes the lithography tools that print circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, including the extreme ultraviolet machines used for the most advanced chips. Reuters reported the stock rose 1.2% in Amsterdam and briefly traded above €1,300, or about $1,532, after the results. (cnbc.com) (finance.yahoo.com) The company’s outlook is a readout on the buildout behind artificial intelligence data centers, which need advanced logic chips and high-bandwidth memory. Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet said customers are accelerating capacity expansion plans for 2026 and beyond and that order intake remains strong. (asml.com) ASML is central to that supply chain because Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Micron, Intel, Nvidia suppliers and other chipmakers need its tools to expand output. Reuters said investors increasingly treat ASML as a “picks-and-shovels” company for the artificial intelligence boom. (finance.yahoo.com) The company said the stronger forecast still includes a wide range because export-control talks are continuing. Fouquet said the guidance band is meant to cover possible outcomes from those restrictions. (asml.com) China remains the main uncertainty. CNBC reported China accounted for 19% of ASML system sales in the first quarter, down from 36% in the previous quarter, and new United States legislation could further restrict sales of deep ultraviolet tools there. (cnbc.com) ASML said it expects second-quarter 2026 sales of €8.4 billion to €9.0 billion, with gross margin of 51% to 52%. Reuters also reported Chief Financial Officer Roger Dassen said ASML should be able to ship 60 of its low-numerical-aperture extreme ultraviolet tools in 2026, up 25% from 2025. (asml.com) (finance.yahoo.com) That leaves ASML in the same position it described in its 2025 annual report: artificial intelligence demand is rising faster than other parts of the chip market, and customers are spending where capacity is tightest. The new forecast says that imbalance is lasting into 2026. (asml.com)