ASML predicts strong growth driven by AI demand

AI boom fuels growth forecast for the Dutch firm.

ASML’s downgraded sales forecast has sent semiconductor stocks tumbling amid concerns of oversupply.

Europe’s largest tech company, ASML, projected an annual sales growth of 8% to 14% over the next five years, driven by strong demand for its advanced chip-making tools amid a global boom in AI. ASML’s CEO Christophe Fouquet highlighted the company’s advanced EUV technology as pivotal in meeting the growing AI demand, positioning the firm well for continued profitability.

Ahead of its investor day in the Netherlands, ASML forecasted revenue between €44 billion and €60 billion by 2030, with stable gross margins between 56% and 60%, reassuring analysts who had been concerned by recent earnings shortfalls. The company’s shares rose by 2.6% in early trading, buoyed by its steady outlook on AI-driven growth despite weaker demand in other chip segments.

ASML faces challenges in China, where US and Dutch export restrictions prevent it from selling its most advanced EUV and certain DUV tools. However, ASML continues to supply older DUV models to Chinese buyers, even as China’s share of ASML’s total sales has dropped significantly.