ASML, described by Reuters as the world's biggest supplier of equipment used to manufacture computer chips, raised its financial guidance on Wednesday for the second time this year, according to CNBC. The Dutch company said its customers are continuing to ramp up production capacity for AI chips.
The company beat Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit. According to a Techmeme summary of reporting by CNBC's April Roach, ASML posted second-quarter net sales of €9.3 billion, above the €8.8 billion estimate, and net profit of €2.9 billion, ahead of the €2.6 billion estimate.
Most notably, ASML lifted its full-year 2026 net sales forecast from a prior range of €36 billion–€40 billion to €43 billion–€45 billion, per the same reporting. Reuters reported that the company is also expanding its capacity to meet AI chip demand.
ASML occupies a critical position in the chip supply chain: it makes the lithography machines that chipmakers need to print circuits onto silicon. Techzine reported that ASML's advanced High-NA EUV machines are now being used to mass-produce Intel 3 chips, a sign that its newest, most expensive tools are moving into commercial production.
The results were closely watched as a barometer for the broader industry. One outlet framed ASML's earnings, alongside those of chipmaker TSMC, as a test of what it called an $880 billion AI infrastructure boom.
Why it matters: Because nearly every advanced AI chip depends on ASML's machines, its rising forecasts are one of the clearest signals that the money and hardware fueling the AI build-out are still accelerating.