Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML (the world's sole maker of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, essential for manufacturing advanced chips) has raised its 2026 revenue forecast to between €36 billion and €40 billion, up from a previous guidance range of €34–39 billion, after posting better-than-expected first-quarter earnings of €2.76 billion on sales of €8.76 billion. CEO Christophe Fouquet cited surging artificial intelligence demand as the driver, saying chip demand is outpacing supply and that customers are accelerating capacity expansion plans for 2026 and beyond. The Veldhoven-based firm, Europe's most valuable listed company, supplies critical equipment to chipmakers such as TSMC — which produces processors for Nvidia and Apple — positioning it as a key beneficiary of the global AI infrastructure buildout.