ASML Sees Memory Chip Orders Surpass Logic for the First Time as DRAM Makers Scramble for EUV Slots

Demand for advanced logic and memory chips continues to outpace supply, driving aggressive capacity expansion by ASML's customers.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 8:50am

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ASML, a leading supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, reported that memory chip orders accounted for 51% of its Q1 2026 sales, surpassing logic chip orders for the first time. This surge in memory chip demand is driven by the need for advanced chips to power AI-related infrastructure, mobile devices, and PCs. ASML's customers, including Samsung, TSMC, SMIC, and Intel, are aggressively adding capacity to address these constraints across end markets. The company is working to boost its chip output by 50% by the start of the next decade through improvements in its EUV and DUV lithography systems.

Why it matters

ASML's report highlights the growing importance of memory chips in the semiconductor industry, as the demand for advanced chips to power AI, mobile, and PC applications continues to rise. This shift in the market dynamics underscores the need for semiconductor manufacturers to invest heavily in capacity expansion and technology upgrades to meet the increasing demand for memory chips.

The details

ASML's Q1 2026 earnings call revealed that memory-related end-use systems accounted for 51% of its sales, while the remaining 49% went to logic designs. EUV lithography systems retained the highest revenue share at 66%, while DUV (ArF immersion) machines reported a 23% revenue share. The South Korean semiconductor industry was the busiest region, accounting for 45% of ASML's sales, followed by Taiwan at 23% and China at 19%. ASML is restricted from selling its high-end EUV lithography tools to China, but DUV sales are allowed. However, this may change as US lawmakers are considering banning the export of DUV technologies to China.

  • ASML reported its Q1 2026 earnings on April 18, 2026.
  • ASML is expected to deliver its updated Low NA EUV machine, capable of outputting at least 330 Wafers Per Hour, by the start of the next decade.
  • ASML recently released its new NXE:3800E PEP-E machine, which increases wafer output from 220 WpH to 230 WpH at a similar overlay.

The players

ASML

A leading supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including EUV and DUV lithography systems.

Christophe Fouqet

President and CEO of ASML.

Samsung

A major customer of ASML, one of the world's largest DRAM manufacturers.

TSMC

A major customer of ASML, the world's largest contract semiconductor manufacturer.

SMIC

A major customer of ASML, China's largest semiconductor manufacturer.

Intel

A major customer of ASML, one of the world's largest semiconductor companies.

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What they’re saying

“Looking ahead with respect to the market, the growth outlook for the semiconductor industry continues to solidify, driven primarily by AI-related infrastructure investment. These investments are increasing demand for advanced Logic and Memory chips in many areas. And for the foreseeable future, demand will continue to outpace supply. This creates constraints across end markets from AI to mobile and PCs, which is driving our customers to aggressively add capacity.”

— Christophe Fouqet, President, CEO of ASML

“In addition to expanding capacity, both advanced DRAM and Logic customers continue to further adopt EUV and Immersion deep UV on new process nodes, which further increases their demand for lithography. As a result, ASML's order intake continues to be very strong, and we stay closely aligned with our customers to support their needs. At the same time, we offer customers productivity upgrade for their installed base to increase their short-term output requirements.”

— Christophe Fouqet, President, CEO of ASML

“Turning to technology, we continue to make very good progress on this front with several developments recently highlighted at the SPIE Advanced Lithography and Patterning Conference this February in San Jose. At the conference, we presented an updated Low NA EUV product road map that reflects improvement to both our short-term and long-term plans for these products. This includes the ability to reach at least 330 wafer per hours on low NA EUV at the start of the next decade, enabled in large part by our continued source power improvement as evidenced by our recent 1,000 watt source demonstration.”

— Christophe Fouqet, President, CEO of ASML

What’s next

ASML is working towards an updated Low NA EUV machine, which would output at least 330 Wafers Per Hour, expected to be delivered by the start of the next decade. The company is also set to boost its chip output by 50% by the start of the next decade by increasing the power of light sources in its machines by 66%.

The takeaway

ASML's report highlights the growing importance of memory chips in the semiconductor industry, as the demand for advanced chips to power AI, mobile, and PC applications continues to rise. This shift in market dynamics underscores the need for semiconductor manufacturers to invest heavily in capacity expansion and technology upgrades to meet the increasing demand for memory chips, which is outpacing the demand for logic chips for the first time.