Dutch tech giant ASML sees profits rise but warns on 2026

LONDON

(FILES) An employee walks past an ASML logo, a Dutch company which is currently the largest supplier in the world of semiconductor manufacturing machines via photolithography systems at the company's headquarters in Veldhoven on April 17, 2018.

Dutch tech giant ASML said Wednesday it booked higher net profits in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year but warned that geopolitical headwinds had darkened the 2026 outlook.

The firm, which makes cutting-edge machines for the manufacture of semiconductors, said net profits came in at 2.3 billion euros, compared with 1.6 billion euros in the second quarter of last year.

However, it warned that the growth outlook for next year was somewhat less rosy than before.

"Looking at 2026, we see that our AI customers' fundamentals remain strong," said Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet in a statement.

"At the same time, we continue to see increasing uncertainty driven by macro-economic and geopolitical developments," he cautioned.

"Therefore, while we still prepare for growth in 2026, we cannot confirm it at this stage."

The firm said its net sales in the second quarter of 2025 came in at 7.7 billion euros, at the upper end of its forecasts of between 7.2 and 7.7 billion euros.

Net bookings, the figures most closely watched in the markets as a predictor of future performance, were 5.6 billion euros, compared to 3.9 billion euros in the first quarter.

Fouquet said he expected sales in the third quarter to come in between 7.4 billion and 7.9 billion euros.

ASML is a key cog in the global economy, as the semiconductors its machines help to make can power everything from smartphones to missiles.

Longer term, ASML believes the rapidly expanding AI market will push its annual sales up to between 44 and 60 billion euros by 2030.

It expects a 15-percent increase in sales this year to around 32.5 billion euros.