AI arms race intensifies, "powerful engine" ASML Holding NV ADR (ASML.US) Q3 orders exceed expectations.

Dutch ASML Holding NV ADR company (ASML.US) released its third-quarter financial report on October 15, Eastern Time, exceeding analysts' expectations due to a strong demand for chip manufacturing equipment driven by investments in the field of artificial intelligence infrastructure worth billions of dollars. The Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer stated in its announcement that the order amount for Q3 reached 5.4 billion euros (approximately 6.3 billion US dollars). According to data compiled by Bloomberg, analysts had previously expected the order amount to be 4.9 billion euros. The data showed that ASML Holding NV ADR's Q3 sales reached 7.5 billion euros, exceeding expectations; net sales reached 7.5 billion euros (approximately 8.71 billion US dollars), gross margin was 51.6%, and net profit was 2.1 billion euros (approximately 2.44 billion US dollars). ASML Holding NV ADR predicts that sales for the fourth quarter of 2025 will be between 9.2 billion euros (106.9 billion US dollars) and 9.8 billion euros (113.9 billion US dollars), with a gross margin of 51% to 53%. For the full year, the company expects sales to grow by approximately 15% compared to 2024, with a gross margin close to 52%. ASML Holding NV ADR is the only company worldwide capable of producing extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, which are essential for manufacturing the most advanced artificial intelligence chips, and are currently benefiting from the industry's investment boom. OpenAI, the artificial intelligence model that has become the world's highest valued startup, has completed multiple data center and chip-related transactions, with a total scale easily exceeding $1 trillion. "We see continued positive momentum in investments in the field of artificial intelligence, and this momentum is extending to more customer groups," CEO Christophe Fouquet stated in the announcement. Some of ASML Holding NV ADR's key customers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR (TSM.US) and Samsung Electronics, have recently benefited from strong demand for artificial intelligence chips. The stock price of ASML Holding NV ADR has risen by 25% since the beginning of this year, making it the most valuable company in Europe. The chip equipment manufacturer plans to seize the opportunities of the artificial intelligence boom in the coming years, with the goal of increasing its annual revenue from last year's 28.3 billion euros to a maximum of 60 billion euros by 2030. The company is advancing a project that is expected to double the number of employees near its headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands. As global trade tensions escalate, the strategic importance of ASML Holding NV ADR's equipment has drawn it into a political dispute with GEO Group Inc. Influenced by the US efforts to curb the Chinese chip industry, ASML Holding NV ADR faces restrictions when selling equipment to China (one of its largest markets). According to sources familiar with the matter, ASML Holding NV ADR is also preparing for potential restrictions in response to the rare earth restrictions imposed by China last week.