Van Oudheusden does not call it unique, but it is surprising that ASML’s market share in China has increased from 8% in the previous quarter to 24% today. And this above all concerns DUV machines which from September can no longer be exported to China without a permit. So it looks like Beijing is quickly rounding up some cars before it’s too late.
Investments in research and development
The big question is therefore immediately: will profit and turnover decrease from September? According to Van Oudheusden, ASML’s backlog is also fuller than capacity. ASML had 3.6 billion new orders in Q1, now there’s 4.5 billion. Incidentally, it is small compared to last year’s record of 8.5 billion.
“The timing is very surprising”
What also strikes Van Oudheusden is that while China’s market share has increased, South Korea’s has remained the same and Taiwan’s has decreased slightly. Also of note: Although ASML previously indicated it would suspend hiring new employees due to high inflation, it is now buying over a hundred R&D workers from Philips. “It’s probably been in the works for a long time,” says Van Oudheusden.