The most important number in technology this week may be 1.9.
TSMC says its estimated need for semiconductor-manufacturing equipment has risen to 1.9 times what it expected at the end of last year—and it is still struggling to keep pace with AI demand.
Not all that equipment will come from ASML. But advanced chip capacity cannot be built without ASML’s lithography systems, including the EUV machines required to manufacture the world’s most advanced chips.
For ASML, this is powerful confirmation of the demand underlying its expansion plans. The company has already raised its 2026 revenue forecast and announced plans to increase both EUV and DUV immersion capacity by approximately 30% in 2027, with another increase being considered for 2028.
The remarkable point is that TSMC’s previous forecast was already enormous—yet within months, it proved far too small.
The AI boom is forcing the world to rebuild the physical capacity required to manufacture computation itself.
Link to Toms Hardware article:
JeffreyLCooper.com
Technology Analyst & Author
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