Particle.news
Download on the App Store

ASML Beats Q2 Forecasts, Raises 2026 Guidance as AI Demand Fuels Orders

Surging demand for AI chips has pushed sales, profits, and booked capacity higher even as export rules limit where the most advanced machines can go.

Overview

  • ASML reported stronger-than-expected Q2 results with €9.3 billion in net sales and €2.9 billion in net income, prompting the company to raise full-year 2026 revenue guidance to €43–45 billion and raise gross margin targets to 54%–56%.
  • The company shipped 86 lithography systems in the quarter, including 16 extreme ultraviolet (EUV) units, a pace consistent with its historical annual EUV output of about 40–50 machines.
  • Service and installed-base management generated roughly €2.8 billion, about 30% of quarterly revenue, giving ASML a high-margin, recurring revenue stream that supports cash returns to shareholders.
  • ASML is accelerating capacity with a plan to increase low-NA EUV production by about 30% by 2027 and says most of that added capacity is already pre-booked by customers.
  • U.S.-led export controls that bar the company’s most advanced EUV tools from China remain a key risk, with the limits shaping where new capacity and shipments can be deployed and delaying China’s access to cutting-edge chip manufacturing.