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Besi shares fall on report ASML is working on rival hybrid bonding product. 16 Oct 2026 06:51PM (Updated: 16 Oct 2026 06:54PM) Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. AMSTERDAM, Oct 16: Shares in computer chip packaging equipment maker BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) fell 3 per cent on Friday after influential semiconductor research firm SemiAnalysis reported that one of the company's main growth products will face competition from bigger rival ASML. The SemiAnalysis report analysed 27 patent filings by ASML, which it said indicated ASML was developing a hybrid bonding product. Besi is a fraction of the size of ASML, the biggest maker of equipment used to make semiconductors, but Besi is a leader in hybrid bonding, an advanced packaging technology being used to create a new generation of more powerful three-dimensional chips. ASML has not confirmed it is developing such a tool. Besi did not respond to requests for comment. Besi shares were down 3 per cent at €158.50, while ASML was up 1.1 per cent at €1,480 in midday Amsterdam trading. A spokesperson for ASML declined to comment on the SemiAnalysis report but pointed to the company's launch of its first advanced packaging tool last year. "We continue to look at which directions the 3D integration industry will evolve... and where ASML's expertise can be of additional value," the company said in a statement at that time. In March, Reuters reported that ASML was planning additional packaging tools, citing Chief Technical Officer Marco Pieters in an interview. "The semiconductor market has already signalled that packaging is one of those next frontiers where performance gains can be unlocked, and ASML seems to be building next-gen tools headed in the same direction," said Nick Rossolillo, co-founder of Chip Stock Investor. "We see the new batch of packaging tools, beyond an EUV pipeline, as critical to pulling off the growth needed to justify (ASML's) elevated valuation."

Besi shares fall on report ASML is working on rival hybrid bonding product. By Thomson Reuters Oct 16, 2026 | 6:51 AM AMSTERDAM, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Shares in computer chip packaging equipment maker BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) fell 3% on Friday after influential semiconductor research firm SemiAnalysis reported that one of the company's main growth products will face competition from bigger rival ASML. The SemiAnalysis report analysed 27 patent filings by ASML, which it said indicated ASML was developing a hybrid bonding product. Besi is a fraction of the size of ASML, the biggest maker of equipment used to make semiconductors, but Besi is a leader in hybrid bonding, an advanced packaging technology being used to create a new generation of more powerful three-dimensional chips. ASML has not confirmed it is developing such a tool. Besi did not respond to requests for comment. Besi shares were down 3% at €158.50, while ASML was up 1.1% at €1,480 in midday Amsterdam trading. A spokesperson for ASML declined to comment on the SemiAnalysis report but pointed to the company's launch of its first advanced packaging tool last year. "We continue to look at which directions the 3D integration industry will evolve... and where ASML's expertise can be of additional value," the company said in a statement at that time. In March, Reuters reported that ASML was planning additional packaging tools, citing Chief Technical Officer Marco Pieters in an interview. "The semiconductor market has already signalled that packaging is one of those next frontiers where performance gains can be unlocked, and ASML seems to be building next-gen tools headed in the same direction," said Nick Rossolillo, co-founder of Chip Stock Investor. "We see the new batch of packaging tools, beyond an EUV pipeline, as critical to pulling off the growth needed to justify (ASML's) elevated valuation." (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Susan Fenton) Now Playing WZUU 92.5 - Kalamazoo's Music Authority Fri Oct 16 Kalamazoo, MI, USA Wind/Dir: 30 MPH-NW Humidity: 94%

ASML plans new investment, job growth at Wilton facility amid AI-driven chip boom. October 15, 2026 Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML plans to make a substantial new investment in its Wilton manufacturing and research facility, shifting more of its operations toward advanced chipmaking technology to meet the surging demand fueled by artificial intelligence. The initiative will involve reconfiguring existing manufacturing space, investing in equipment and expanding the workforce, Jim Koonmen, ASML's chief customer officer and president of its U.S. operations, told Hartford Business Journal during an interview Thursday. ASML has not yet determined the investment's total cost or how many jobs it will create, Koonmen said. The company employs more than 3,000 people in Wilton. "We're doubling down on the advanced technology that we're going to be doing at that site," he said. The changes will dedicate a greater share of Wilton's manufacturing, design and development activities to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, which are used to produce the advanced semiconductors powering AI applications. Lithography uses light to transfer intricate circuit patterns onto silicon wafers. EUV technology enables manufacturers to create the extremely small patterns needed for increasingly powerful chips. The facility at 77 Danbury Road in Wilton produces critical components for every lithography system ASML manufactures, including its most advanced EUV machines. The Wilton facility also plays a key role in developing components for ASML's next-generation High-NA EUV systems, which produce even finer circuit patterns than existing machines. Koonmen compared the technology to a camera with a larger aperture, allowing it to capture sharper, higher-resolution images. The new systems, he said, are expected to enter high-volume manufacturing at customer facilities within the next year or two, with Wilton playing a central role in their development and production. The changes will involve converting portions of the facility currently devoted to older-generation lithography systems to accommodate greater EUV production, Koonmen said. "It will be a substantial investment in facilities" and capital expenditures at the site, he said. The new plans follow ASML's $200 million expansion in Wilton, announced in 2022, which included additional manufacturing capacity for existing EUV systems and next-generation High-NA EUV technology. Koonmen said that expansion is now complete. The new initiative comes as ASML faces unprecedented demand for its equipment. The company announced Wednesday that third-quarter net sales reached a record 11.7 billion euros, with net income of 5 billion euros. ASML projects full-year sales of 44 billion to 45 billion euros. ASML also warned that its currently planned production capacity for 2027 and 2028 will not fully satisfy anticipated customer demand. The company is targeting a 30% increase in production of its existing EUV systems in 2027 and another 30% increase in 2028, Koonmen said. Meeting the increased production targets will require suppliers to also increase production and ASML to recruit and train additional workers, he said. AI is also changing how ASML operates. The company is using the technology to improve its products, software development and equipment maintenance, Koonmen said.ASML has about 5,000 to 6,000 lithography machines worldwide, and he said AI could help technicians diagnose problems and identify needed repairs more quickly, reducing equipment downtime. "AI is an accelerant for us," Koonmen said, adding that the company views the technology as a way to expand its capabilities rather than just reduce costs. Wilton has been a center of semiconductor technology for approximately four decades, dating to operations under Perkin-Elmer and later Silicon Valley Group, before ASML acquired the business. The facility's combination of manufacturing, engineering, research and supply chain operations allows it to handle increasingly sophisticated assignments without having to develop those capabilities elsewhere, Koonmen said. He attributed the Wilton facility's growing importance to its experienced workforce and combination of engineering, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities. "We have no plans to move anywhere," Koonmen said. "It's the education, the expertise that is in the workforce there is just unbelievable. It's totally critical for what we do."