ASML says AI boom will leave chip equipment demand unmet through 2028
The world’s largest semiconductor equipment maker says it will be unable to fully meet customer demand in 2027 or 2028 despite plans to expand capacity. CEO Christophe Fouquet said discussions with customers are increasingly extending into 2029 and 2030.
ASML said on Wednesday that demand for its chipmaking equipment, driven by the AI boom, is so strong that it will be unable to fully meet customer demand in 2027 or 2028 and is exploring ways to further expand production capacity.
The world’s largest maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment forecast fourth-quarter 2026 sales of €14.2 billion to €15.2 billion ($15.9 billion to $17.0 billion), above analyst expectations. The company also projected a gross margin of around 57%.
Analysts polled by LSEG had expected sales of €14.19 billion.
“Many of our discussions with our customers are now shifting, in fact, beyond 2027,” CEO Christophe Fouquet said in a statement.
In July, ASML said it planned to increase production capacity by 30% in 2027 and by a further 30% in 2028.
Fouquet said the company was now seeing “a lot of order intake for 2028,” as well as strong interest from customers looking to place orders for 2029 and, in some cases, even 2030.
ASML now expects 2026 net sales to reach €44 billion to €45 billion ($49.3 billion to $50.4 billion), raising the bottom of its annual forecast from €43 billion.
