Advertisement
ASML orders triple in fourth quarter amid soaring demand for advanced chip gear, especially in China
- Order bookings rose to €9.19 billion in the fourth quarter from €2.6 billion in July to September in a sign of recovery for the chip industry
- ASML benefited from strong demand from China last year as chip makers rushed to get lithography machines ahead of new export restrictions
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
ASML Holding NV orders more than tripled last quarter from the previous three months as demand for its most-sophisticated machines soared, in a sign that the semiconductor industry may be recovering.
Advertisement
Order bookings rose to €9.19 billion (US$9.98 billion) in the fourth quarter from €2.6 billion in July to September, Europe’s most valuable technology company said in a statement on Wednesday. That compares with an average estimate of €3.6 billion by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Bookings of its most-advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography machines in the period was €5.6 billion.
“The inventory levels in the end markets are improving and are definitely at a better level than they were a couple of quarters ago,” chief financial officer Roger Dassen said in a statement accompanying the earnings result.
ASML is the only company that produces equipment needed to make the most sophisticated semiconductors, and demand for its products are a bellwether for the industry’s health. Late last year, it started shipping major parts of the first of its newest chip-making machine to Intel.
Advertisement
Advertisement