Europe's leading semiconductor equipment company ASML raised its 2026 revenue forecast to 43 billion to 45 billion euros and said it will expand production capacity by 30 percent over the next 2 years, boosting expectations for Europe’s first $1 trillion company.

Cryptopolitan, a blockchain media outlet, reported on July 20 that the key to the announcement lies not in results but in plans to ramp up output to ease bottlenecks in the AI chip supply chain. Dutch chip equipment maker ASML is the only company in the world that supplies extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools. TSMC, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix use ASML equipment to make cutting-edge chips. That is why ASML’s expansion is seen as a key variable in global AI chip supply.

In its July 15 earnings release, ASML posted second-quarter revenue of 9.3 billion euros, net profit of 2.9 billion euros and a gross margin of 54.0 percent. It sold 86 new lithography systems and reported basic earnings per share of 7.59 euros. Chief Executive Christophe Fouquet (크리스토프 푸케) said customer orders in the first half remained at a very strong level.

It also detailed production plans. Annual capacity for low-NA EUV systems could rise to 85 units in 2027 from 65 units in 2026. DUV immersion lithography systems are expected to increase to 170 units from 130 units over the same period. ASML is also considering a plan to raise production capacity by about another 30 percent by 2028.

Some uncertainties remain. ASML shares are up about 75 percent so far this year, but the expansion plan must translate into actual sales. Customers’ capacity expansion plans also need to turn into purchase orders. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) assessed that U.S. legislation related to hardware technology controls could tighten export restrictions on advanced lithography tools from ASML and Japan’s Nikon and Canon. It also estimated that China may have accounted for up to 27 percent of ASML’s 2025 revenue.

ASML bought back about 1.1 billion euros worth of its own shares during the quarter and decided to pay an interim 2026 dividend of 1.88 euros per share on Aug. 5. If lithography tool supply increases, bottlenecks could shift to advanced packaging, high-bandwidth memory, and power and cooling facilities. SEMI forecast global semiconductor equipment sales will rise 23.2 percent from a year earlier to $165.9 billion in 2026 and reach $229.5 billion in 2028.