ASML announced Wednesday that it had achieved third-quarter results surpassing market expectations while revealing that certain customers were exploring the possibility of ordering its semiconductor tools for 2029 and 2030. Chief Executive Christophe Fouquet attributed the extended ordering interest to customer assessments regarding the scale and longevity of artificial intelligence-related capital expenditures. He noted that current production capacity planned for 2027 and 2028 would fall short of customer demand, prompting the company to investigate methods of expanding output for 2028 beyond the previously communicated 30% increase target.
The company raised its full-year sales guidance for a second time, establishing a revised forecast range of 44 billion euros to 45 billion euros, adjusting upward the lower threshold from a prior 43 billion euros. For the fourth quarter, ASML projected net sales between 14.2 billion euros and 15.2 billion euros, with the upper end of this range exceeding consensus projections. The stock traded approximately 2% higher in early European sessions, with shares having increased 56% during the calendar year.
During the quarter, both Samsung and TSMC, the world’s two leading chipmakers, agreed to adopt ASML’s High NA extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, representing significant commitments to the company’s next-generation technology platform. ASML maintained its prior projection that China sales would comprise 20% of total revenue. The company faces ongoing export restrictions on advanced tools to China, though it maintains an effective monopoly on extreme ultraviolet lithography systems globally. Industry observers have raised questions about China’s capacity to develop competing domestic deep ultraviolet technology despite reported efforts by unnamed domestic manufacturers.
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