ASML

€9.3B in Q2 2026 sales and commitments from Intel, Samsung and TSMC put ASML’s High NA EUV rollout at the center of chipmaking’s next transition.

Who they are

ASML is the Dutch maker of lithography equipment described in coverage as the world’s only supplier of EUV systems, making it a critical upstream supplier to leading chip manufacturers. Stories position CEO Christophe Fouquet as the company’s public voice on a business whose supply chain spans 2,000 companies and whose machines link ASML closely to customers including TSMC, Intel and Samsung.

The recent arc

Coverage intensified through 2026, peaking in Q2 before staying elevated in Q3, as earnings strength shifted attention from near-term demand to the adoption of next-generation High NA EUV. ASML reported Q1 sales of €8.8B and raised its 2026 outlook, then reported €9.3B in Q2 sales, €2.9B in net profit and lifted the annual forecast again to €43B–€45B. Earlier 2025 coverage had focused more on uneven bookings and tariff uncertainty, even as Q2 bookings outperformed expectations.

The latest stories make the technology deployment cycle more concrete: Intel chose High NA EUV for some Panther Lake laptop chips, while Samsung and TSMC committed to use the machines by 2028 and 2030, respectively. That customer alignment was paired with an industry move involving ASML, Intel, Samsung and TSMC from 6-inch to 12-inch photomasks. At the same time, reporting continued to track export controls and China, including ASML’s expectation that China would account for 20% of 2026 sales.

The tension

The coverage circles ASML’s unusual leverage against the constraints around it. Its sole-supplier position in EUV gives it a pivotal role with TSMC, Intel and Samsung, but that leverage is tested by negotiations: sources said TSMC resisted proposed EUV price increases and a planned 10% increase for DUV systems. China is the other persistent fault line, with US-led export restrictions and questions over whether China obtained an EUV machine colliding with the country’s importance to ASML’s sales.

Why it matters

If the reported customer commitments translate into production deployments, High NA EUV could deepen ASML’s importance to the leading-edge manufacturing plans of Intel, Samsung and TSMC while extending its influence into adjacent process-standard decisions such as photomasks. But the trajectory remains exposed to export-policy enforcement, customer resistance on equipment pricing and geographic demand imbalance: ASML’s European revenue share fell to 0% in the first two quarters of 2026, prompting its call for EU authorities to stimulate demand for EU-made chips.

Related: TSMC · EUV · China · Christophe Fouquet · ASML says Intel has decided to use ASML's next-gen High NA EUV machine · Samsung and TSMC commit to using ASML's High NA EUV machines by 2028 a