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Why ASML (ASML) Remains a Key Bottleneck Play in the AI Chip Buildout

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) is one of the best AI enabler stocks to buy now.

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) is one of the cleaner “picks and shovels” names in AI because its machines sit upstream of the most advanced chips used in AI accelerators, high-bandwidth memory, and leading-edge processors. The latest signal came on April 15, when ASML raised its 2026 net sales outlook to €36 billion to €40 billion, compared with its prior forecast of €34 billion to €39 billion, after customers increased demand for its chipmaking tools. Reuters said the stronger outlook was tied to AI-driven semiconductor demand and the data-center buildout.

The company’s own commentary made the AI-enabler angle clearer. CEO Christophe Fouquet said semiconductor growth was being supported by ongoing AI infrastructure investments, with chip demand outpacing supply and customers accelerating capacity expansion plans for 2026 and beyond. ASML also said first-quarter net sales were €8.8 billion, with a gross margin of 53.0% and net income of €2.8 billion.

The strategic point is simple: AI chip designers can win orders, but those orders still have to pass through advanced fabs. ASML’s EUV systems are used for high-volume manufacturing at advanced nodes such as 7nm, 5nm, and 3nm, while its High NA EUV platform is intended to support future 2nm and sub-2nm logic production.

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) develops and manufactures lithography, metrology, and inspection systems used by semiconductor manufacturers to produce advanced chips.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of ASML as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ASML and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 33 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and Cathie Wood 2026 Portfolio: 10 Best Stocks to Buy. 

Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

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Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

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Today, we have identified a nearly identical pattern in a digital-first giant trading at $3.

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This pattern is a hallmark of our 16.5% annual return track record. The current opportunity offers a 400% upside potential—dwarfing even our 90% BTI return.

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