ASML CEO: Planned Capacity Short of 2027-2028 Demand

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet said the company's currently planned production capacity will not be enough to meet customer demand in both 2027 and 2028, and that customer demand projections for its equipment keep rising because of expanded investment in AI semiconductors. He made the remarks at a recent earnings presentation, according to the Japanese outlet GIGAZINE.

The Dutch semiconductor equipment maker plans to expand 2027 production capacity for low-NA EUV equipment and DUV immersion equipment by about 30% compared with 2026. It is also considering additional capacity expansion in 2028 and examining options beyond its existing expansion plans, citing faster-than-expected demand growth.

Fouquet said some customers are already showing interest in placing equipment orders for 2029 and 2030. ASML said it will pursue both new production facility expansion and performance upgrades of existing equipment.

ASML reported third-quarter net sales of 11,662 million euros and net income of 4,960 million euros. It guided fourth-quarter revenue to 14.2-15.2 billion euros and full-year revenue to 44-45 billion euros.

EUV bottleneck

ASML holds a monopoly on supplying EUV lithography equipment essential for advanced semiconductor production. Demand for that equipment is rising fast as production of AI accelerators and high-performance memory grows, but the equipment's complex structure and long assembly and verification times make rapid output increases difficult.