ASML's strong orders ease fears AI spending boom is running out of steam

ASML said on Wednesday customers were already looking to place orders for its advanced chipmaking tools for 2029 and 2030, easing concerns that the artificial intelligence investment boom was losing momentum. The upbeat outlook from the Dutch company, the biggest maker of tools used to make AI chips and advanced semiconductors, signals that chipmakers are continuing to expand well into the future, easing concerns among investors that the surge in AI-related spending could be nearing a peak. Demand for the company's machines has been fuelled by the AI boom, with customers including TSMC — which manufactures chips for Nvidia — as well as Samsung, Intel and others investing heavily to increase chip production. Shares in ASML, Europe's largest firm by market valuation at some €586 billion, were up 2 percent on Wednesday, having risen almost 70 percent so far this year. "There were concerns that the AI trade was running out of steam," said Gordon Kerr, European macro strategist at KBRA, adding ASML's results showed "demand for chips remains strong, and infrastructure spending is likely