The world's sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines posted €9.3 billion in quarterly sales, raising its full-year outlook on surging AI semiconductor demand
ASML, the Dutch company that holds a literal monopoly on the machines required to manufacture the world’s most advanced chips, just posted a quarter that shows exactly how insatiable the appetite for AI hardware has become. The company sold 86 new lithography systems in Q2 2026, including 16 of its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines.
Net sales hit €9.3 billion for the quarter, with net income landing at €2.9 billion. Both figures exceeded the company’s own prior guidance.
Why a lithography company matters to crypto and tech markets #
ASML is the only commercial supplier of EUV lithography systems. Every cutting-edge semiconductor on Earth, whether it powers an Nvidia GPU training a large language model or sits inside a Bitcoin mining ASIC, traces its lineage back to an ASML machine.
The company’s customer list reads like a who’s who of the semiconductor world: TSMC, Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. When these companies expand capacity to meet AI demand, they’re writing checks to ASML first.
The numbers behind the monopoly #
ASML’s Q2 gross margin came in at 54%. Its installed base management business, which covers servicing and upgrading machines already deployed in the field, contributed €2.8 billion to the quarter — roughly 30% of total revenue coming from what is essentially a recurring revenue stream.
The 16 EUV systems shipped in Q2 track with the company’s historical production pace of approximately 40 to 50 EUV systems per year.
ASML raised its full-year 2026 outlook, projecting annual sales between €43 billion and €45 billion, with a gross margin target of 54% to 56%. For Q3 alone, ASML expects sales in the range of €11 billion to €12 billion.
ASML intends to boost its low-NA EUV production capacity by 30% by 2027, working from a base of approximately 65 systems in 2026. The company has already booked most of that increased capacity in advance.
Geopolitics and the AI arms race #
Export restrictions currently prevent the company from selling its most advanced EUV technology to China, effectively locking Chinese chipmakers out of the cutting-edge manufacturing race. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our