ASML reported bookings of 9.2 billion euros for the fourth quarter
ASML’s record order haul is welcome news for the chip industry after a challenging 2023.
On Wednesday, the Dutch company that makes the world’s most advanced semiconductor-manufacturing equipment reported bookings of 9.2 billion euros for the fourth quarter.
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That sum, equivalent to about $10 billion, was more than triple the third-quarter total.
The results follow last week’s upbeat outlook from ASML’s top customer, TSMC. They are another sign that the global chip industry is mustering for growth, having spent last year working through inventories built up during the pandemic electronics boom.
It is also good news for ASML, helping justify its status as Europe’s most valuable technology company. A full 61% of fourth-quarter orders were for its cutting-edge “extreme ultraviolet” lithography machines. None of its competitors have worked out how to manufacture this technology, giving ASML a lucrative monopoly in a key foundation of artificial intelligence.
The company remained conservative in its outlook Wednesday, sticking with October guidance for flat revenues this year. It expects a “transition year” before a much stronger 2025, when a lot of new chip factories will need equipment
