AMSTERDAM, Feb 25 (Reuters) - ASML ASML.AS, the biggest supplier of lithography equipment used to make computer chips, said in its 2025 annual report published Wednesday it now sees the artificial intelligence boom as the main driver for demand for its products.
The report reflects a change in tone from 2024, when the company emphasized that the semiconductor industry is cyclical and AI might prove a disappointment.
"At first, we believed that AI would drive demand from only a limited portion of our customer base. At the end of the year, we saw that new and significant demand for AI was starting to fuel capacity build-up across our broad customer base – a powerful trend that we believe will continue in 2026 and beyond," CEO Christophe Fouquet said in the 2025 report.
In the 2024 report, CFO Roger Dassen had described AI as "a growth driver" that was not benefiting all customers equally.
"We anticipate continued growth in the semiconductor market driven by strong demand for AI logic and memory products, along with high pricing resulting from supply-demand imbalances. This is expected to drive demand for growth in the equipment market," the company said in 2025.
Elsewhere in the 2025 report ASML noted that export-control regimes continued to evolve in 2025, with the Dutch government adding new controls on metrology and inspection equipment in January.
In the 2025 report ASML also noted that it plans to set up a sales and support operation in India.
