On July 2, lithography giant ASML announced an increase in its annual revenue guidance, primarily due to the continued growth in demand for advanced lithography equipment related to AI chip manufacturing. Leading foundries such as TSMC and Samsung are accelerating the adoption of high numerical aperture EUV lithography machines to meet the demand for AI accelerators, further enhancing the certainty of capacity expansion for advanced processes at 3nm and below. Industry experts believe that ASML's upward revision is seen as a barometer for the overall semiconductor equipment industry, confirming that AI capital expenditures are still in an expansion cycle. Order data from equipment leaders like Applied Materials and Lam Research also validate the strong demand on the equipment side, as the capacity expansion for advanced processes is moving from the planning stage to actual procurement. The extended equipment delivery cycles further corroborate the tight balance between supply and demand.
All Comments