ASML Rides AI Chip Boom to Record Sales Amid Strategic Workforce Reshuffle
ASML Holdings NV delivered a bullish signal to semiconductor markets, reporting €32.7 billion in 2025 sales alongside plans to cut 1,700 predominantly leadership positions. The Dutch lithography specialist's stock ROSE 3% as investors focused on its €13.2 billion quarterly order book—€7.4 billion from EUV systems powering next-gen AI chips—rather than workforce reductions.
CEO Christophe Fouquet framed the restructuring as precision engineering: 'Our technology pipeline has never been stronger, but operational excellence requires constant recalibration.' The company simultaneously announced a €12 billion share repurchase program and projected €34-39 billion in 2026 revenue, betting big on hyperscalers' insatiable demand for advanced computing.
Market response validated ASML's gamble. Traders piled into semiconductor-linked crypto assets including AI-focused tokens like FET, AGIX, and OCEAN after the report, while bitcoin briefly reclaimed $64,000 on spillover optimism. The orders surge confirms what industry watchers whisper: AI's hardware revolution is just beginning.