ASML Holding raised its 2026 revenue forecast Wednesday after reporting stronger-than-expected second-quarter sales and profit, as demand for the advanced equipment needed to manufacture artificial-intelligence chips continued to accelerate.

The Netherlands-based semiconductor-equipment company said it now expects 2026 net sales of between €43 billion and €45 billion, up from its previous forecast of €36 billion to €40 billion. At the midpoint, the revised projection represents an increase of approximately 16% from the earlier range.

ASML reported second-quarter revenue of €9.33 billion, exceeding the €8.80 billion average estimate compiled by LSEG. Net income reached €2.92 billion, above analysts’ expectation of €2.62 billion. The company’s Amsterdam-listed shares rose 3.7% to €1,613 during Wednesday morning trading and were up approximately 75% for the year at that point in the session.

The earnings report strengthens ASML’s position at the center of the global race to build more computing power for artificial intelligence.

The company behind the world’s most advanced chips

ASML produces lithography machines used to print extremely small electronic circuits onto semiconductor wafers. It is the world’s only manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, commonly known as EUV machines, which are required to produce many of the most advanced logic and memory chips.

Those chips are used in data centers that operate artificial-intelligence systems and cloud-computing platforms.

ASML’s customers include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company manufactures advanced chips for customers including Nvidia, whose processors have become central to the artificial-intelligence data-center expansion.

Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet said customers were continuing to accelerate their capacity-expansion plans, giving ASML greater visibility into longer-term demand.

The company said demand for its lithography systems was “extremely strong.”

Capacity to increase by nearly one-third

ASML plans to increase production capacity for its flagship EUV equipment by approximately 30% in each of the next two years.

The expansion is significant because investors and semiconductor companies have increasingly viewed the limited supply of advanced chipmaking equipment as a potential bottleneck for the artificial-intelligence industry.

Nearly all of ASML’s expanded EUV capacity through 2027 is already booked, according to the company. ASML also plans to increase production of deep ultraviolet lithography systems, known as DUV machines, which are used to produce less advanced but still essential semiconductors.

The capacity increase could make it easier for chipmakers to expand their factories and meet demand from cloud providers, technology companies and data-center operators.

Intel and new High-NA technology

ASML also said Intel Corporation plans to use its new High Numerical Aperture EUV system, known as High-NA, to produce some of Intel’s advanced Panther Lake processors.

High-NA systems are designed to print smaller and more detailed circuits than previous EUV machines, potentially allowing semiconductor companies to increase processing power while fitting more transistors onto individual chips.

The planned Intel use represents an important commercial step for the technology.

ASML Chief Financial Officer Roger Dassen said the company’s capacity plans also account for demand from Terafab, a Texas chip-manufacturing project being developed to supply chips to SpaceX and Tesla.

China remains an important market

ASML expects Chinese customers to represent approximately 20% of its sales in 2026.

The company is prohibited from selling EUV systems and its most advanced DUV machines in China because of export restrictions led by the United States. It continues selling less advanced DUV systems to Chinese customers where permitted.

Dassen said Chinese demand remained strong, particularly among manufacturers producing logic chips for electrical grids, computers, smartphones, artificial-intelligence applications and the domestic Chinese market.

Further restrictions proposed by American lawmakers remain a business risk for ASML.

Why the results matter

ASML’s results provide a direct measure of how rapidly semiconductor manufacturers are expanding to meet artificial-intelligence demand.

Technology companies can announce billions of dollars in planned data-center investment, but those facilities ultimately depend on physical chips. Producing the most advanced chips requires specialized factories, complex supply chains and ASML lithography systems that can take substantial time to manufacture and install.

The company’s higher forecast and planned capacity expansion indicate that its customers are preparing for artificial-intelligence demand to remain strong beyond the current year.

For investors, the report also provides evidence that artificial-intelligence spending is continuing to flow beyond software companies and chip designers into the manufacturers of the equipment needed to build global computing infrastructure.

JBizNews Desk | Amsterdam

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Sources: ASML second-quarter 2026 financial results and company statements; Reuters reporting dated July 15, 2026.