Shares of ASML jumped 1.7% in premarket trading. ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet says 2026 will still be a growth year, and in the long term still see growth.
Fouquet says the company still sees AI as a huge opportunity for the industry, but not every semiconductor company is riding the wave.
China, one of ASML’s most important markets, has been focusing for a few years now on more mainstream chips. In part, that’s because of the EUV restrictions that prevented China from doing more advanced nodes.
But the demand for mainstream semiconductors in China has boomed and outstripped ASML’s ability to ship machines.
Fouquet: It’s clear that the US will continue to apply pressure on their allies for more restrictions.
This was an issue ASML brought up in their financial results last week as well.
“There may be a good reason to restrict” the flow of technology, he says, and it’s important to continue the discussion with regulators so “they are better equipped to decide” what to do.
Asked about the immigration situation in the Netherlands, Fouquet said that it’s important that a company like ASML has access to capital, people and energy.
“We have built our company with more than 100 nationalities, so bringing talent from everywhere,” he says. This has been important for success and “this has to continue.”
Fouquet’s predecessor, Peter Wennink, had pushed back against Dutch anti-immigration policies.
Fouquet said he is not considering moving a large part of ASML’s operations outside of the Netherlands.
Fouquet was speaking in an interview at a Bloomberg technology conference in London.
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