LITHOGRAPHY MACHINES:
Demand has motivated customers to increase spending, the company said, adding that Intel has begun to use its most advanced machine
ASML Holding NV lifted its annual sales forecast for the second time this year and laid out plans to increase production as a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) spending drives demand for the Dutch company’s chipmaking machines.Net sales would grow to between 43 billion euros and 45 billion euros (US$49.11 billion and US$51.39 billion) this year, the company said in a statement yesterday.That is well above the average estimate of 39.3 billion euros among analysts compiled by Bloomberg as well as the company’s prior guidance for annual sales of 36 billion euros to 40 billion euros.
An ASML flag and the the company logo are pictured at its offices in Veldhoven, Netherlands, on March 24.
ASML chief executive officer Christophe Fouquet’s challenge is keeping up with demand for the company’s intricate machines, which are used by the world’s largest chipmakers to produce semiconductors that train and run AI models, as well as the data centers that host them.Fouquet announced plans to increase manufacturing capacity for its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines to meet a large number of orders lined up for 2028.
