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Is ASML's 1.3B Euro AI Bet the Catalyst for Its Next Growth Cycle?
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Key Takeaways
ASML invests 1.3B euros in Mistral AI, gaining an 11% stake and a seat on the firm's strategic committee.
The move embeds Mistral's generative AI into ASML's EUV tools to boost precision and reduce costs.
ASML views the partnership as fueling recurring revenues and potentially marking a new phase of growth.
ASML Holding N.V. (ASML - Free Report) is taking a major step beyond hardware with a €1.3 billion investment in Mistral AI, a French artificial intelligence (AI) company known for developing large language models. The investment gives ASML an 11% stake and a seat on Mistral’s strategic committee. More importantly, it signals ASML’s deeper integration of AI into its core lithography systems, aiming to enhance productivity, precision and customer chip yields.
AI already plays a growing role in chip design and manufacturing, and ASML Holding’s machines are central to that process. By embedding Mistral’s generative AI tools into its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) platform, ASML expects faster innovation cycles, improved time to market and reduced development costs. This can strengthen its competitive advantage, especially as chipmakers race to expand advanced logic and DRAM capacity for AI-driven workloads.
The partnership also connects ASML Holding more closely with the broader AI ecosystem, potentially opening opportunities beyond traditional equipment sales. Over time, software-enabled performance improvements could translate into recurring revenue streams and stronger margins.
While ASML Holding faces near-term challenges such as a slowdown in China and the ramp-up costs of new High-NA EUV tools, its collaboration with Mistral AI could define the company’s next growth phase. If successful, it will allow ASML not just to power the AI revolution with its hardware but to harness AI itself to drive the next wave of semiconductor innovation.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is pegged at $37.76 billion, indicating a 23.6% year-over-year increase.
ASML’s Rivals in Advanced Chipmaking Equipment Space
Although ASML is the only company providing EUV lithography tools, it operates in a broader ecosystem of semiconductor equipment makers. Its notable peers in the chipmaking equipment space are Applied Materials (AMAT - Free Report) and KLA Corporation (KLAC - Free Report) .
Applied Materials supplies equipment used in chip fabrication, including deposition and etching tools that are essential for both advanced and mature nodes. As chips become more complex with AI and high-performance workloads, Applied Materials’ tools aid in designing and making efficient and smaller node chips.
KLA Corporation specializes in process control, inspection and metrology systems. KLA Corporation’s equipment helps chipmakers monitor and improve yield during manufacturing.
ASML’s Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of ASML Holding have risen 45.9% year to date compared with the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s gain of 23.8%.
ASML YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, ASML trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 33.79, significantly higher than the sector’s average of 29.22.
ASML Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASML Holding’s 2025 and 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of approximately 39.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Estimates for 2025 and 2026 earnings have been revised upward in the past seven days.
Image: Bigstock
Is ASML's 1.3B Euro AI Bet the Catalyst for Its Next Growth Cycle?
Key Takeaways
ASML Holding N.V. (ASML - Free Report) is taking a major step beyond hardware with a €1.3 billion investment in Mistral AI, a French artificial intelligence (AI) company known for developing large language models. The investment gives ASML an 11% stake and a seat on Mistral’s strategic committee. More importantly, it signals ASML’s deeper integration of AI into its core lithography systems, aiming to enhance productivity, precision and customer chip yields.
AI already plays a growing role in chip design and manufacturing, and ASML Holding’s machines are central to that process. By embedding Mistral’s generative AI tools into its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) platform, ASML expects faster innovation cycles, improved time to market and reduced development costs. This can strengthen its competitive advantage, especially as chipmakers race to expand advanced logic and DRAM capacity for AI-driven workloads.
The partnership also connects ASML Holding more closely with the broader AI ecosystem, potentially opening opportunities beyond traditional equipment sales. Over time, software-enabled performance improvements could translate into recurring revenue streams and stronger margins.
While ASML Holding faces near-term challenges such as a slowdown in China and the ramp-up costs of new High-NA EUV tools, its collaboration with Mistral AI could define the company’s next growth phase. If successful, it will allow ASML not just to power the AI revolution with its hardware but to harness AI itself to drive the next wave of semiconductor innovation.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is pegged at $37.76 billion, indicating a 23.6% year-over-year increase.
ASML’s Rivals in Advanced Chipmaking Equipment Space
Although ASML is the only company providing EUV lithography tools, it operates in a broader ecosystem of semiconductor equipment makers. Its notable peers in the chipmaking equipment space are Applied Materials (AMAT - Free Report) and KLA Corporation (KLAC - Free Report) .
Applied Materials supplies equipment used in chip fabrication, including deposition and etching tools that are essential for both advanced and mature nodes. As chips become more complex with AI and high-performance workloads, Applied Materials’ tools aid in designing and making efficient and smaller node chips.
KLA Corporation specializes in process control, inspection and metrology systems. KLA Corporation’s equipment helps chipmakers monitor and improve yield during manufacturing.
ASML’s Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of ASML Holding have risen 45.9% year to date compared with the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s gain of 23.8%.
ASML YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, ASML trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 33.79, significantly higher than the sector’s average of 29.22.
ASML Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASML Holding’s 2025 and 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of approximately 39.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Estimates for 2025 and 2026 earnings have been revised upward in the past seven days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ASML Holding currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.