VELDHOVEN, January 28, 2026, 09:17 CET
- ASML said it expects a net reduction of around 1,700 roles as it streamlines its technology and IT teams.
- Fourth-quarter net bookings, a closely watched measure of new orders, came in at 13.2 billion euros.
- The company lifted its 2026 sales outlook to 34–39 billion euros and unveiled a new 12 billion euro share buyback plan.
ASML said on Wednesday it plans a net reduction of around 1,700 positions, even as the Dutch chipmaking equipment supplier posted record 2025 sales and flagged another growth year ahead.
The move matters because ASML sits at the choke point of the advanced chip supply chain. Its machines are needed to make leading-edge chips, and chipmakers are spending again to meet demand tied to artificial intelligence.
Investors also care about the timing. Chip tools are complex and take months to build and ship, so orders tend to show where revenue is heading before sales catch up.
ASML reported 2025 total net sales of 32.7 billion euros and net income of 9.6 billion euros, with gross margin — the share of sales left after direct production costs — at 52.8%. Fourth-quarter sales came in at 9.7 billion euros, it said.
The company forecast 2026 sales of 34 billion to 39 billion euros, and gross margin of 51% to 53%. “We expect 2026 to be another growth year for ASML’s business,” Chief Executive Christophe Fouquet said, pointing to stronger demand for EUV, or extreme ultraviolet lithography tools that print the smallest chip features. (Source: Asml)
On jobs, ASML said it will streamline its Technology and IT organizations, with roles “mainly at the leadership level” potentially no longer needed. It said it would work with Dutch labor representatives and expects the net reduction to fall mostly in the Netherlands, with some in the United States, while also creating new engineering roles. (Source: Asml)
Dutch broadcaster NOS reported the cuts would be concentrated in the Netherlands and cited an internal message saying engineers want to spend more time on technology and less on slow processes. It put ASML’s workforce at 43,520 full-time staff. (Source: Nos)
Net bookings — ASML’s term for orders received — totaled 13.2 billion euros in the fourth quarter, including 7.4 billion euros of EUV orders. For 2025, net bookings were 28.0 billion euros and the backlog stood at 38.8 billion euros, meaning work still to be delivered and booked as revenue.
ASML also leaned into shareholder returns. It proposed a total 2025 dividend of 7.50 euros per share and said it has started a new share buyback program of up to 12 billion euros running through the end of 2028.
Analysts focused on the size of the order jump. Bookings were up sharply from 5.4 billion euros in the prior quarter and beat expectations of 6.32 billion euros, Reuters reported, citing Visible Alpha. “Overall there is good fourth-quarter orders and 2026 outlook, driven by AI demand for EUV in both logic and DRAM,” Mizuho analyst Kevin Wang wrote, referring to dynamic random access memory chips used in servers and PCs. (Source: Reuters)
Demand has been pulled by customers such as TSMC, Intel and Samsung as they expand capacity for AI-related chips, with cloud companies ramping their own spending on data centers. In the wider chip tools market, investors track order trends at equipment makers such as Applied Materials and Lam Research, though ASML remains the key supplier for EUV tools.
But the order book is not the same as revenue, and this industry can turn fast. Long delivery lead times mean orders can be delayed or reshuffled, and ASML’s reorganization carries its own risk if it slows decision-making or nudges experienced engineers out the door.
