ASML Invests 1.3B Euro in Mistral AI: Will it Deliver Growth?

ASML Holding ASML has announced new plans to capitalize on the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI). The company will invest €1.3 billion in Mistral AI’s Series C funding round, taking an 11% stake in the French AI firm. ASML will also get a seat on Mistral’s Strategic Committee, with CFO Roger Dassen representing the company.

This partnership is designed to bring AI into ASML’s products, research, and operations. The idea is that AI can help improve lithography tools, cut time to market, and boost performance for chipmakers. Management believes this collaboration will directly benefit ASML’s customers and strengthen the company’s long-term technology roadmap.

This investment comes after a strong quarter for ASML. The company ended the second quarter of 2025 with revenues of €7.7 billion, which increased 23% year over year and with a backlog of €33 billion. The demand was driven by both ASML's logic and memory chips used in AI. Additionally, the management expects demand for both memory and logic chips used in AI to remain strong throughout 2026. However, the company still faces risks from tariffs and global uncertainty that could affect growth in the future quarters.

ASML is betting that the strategic partnership which aims to combine the company's chipmaking expertise with Mistral’s AI will create long-term value for its shareholders. If the AI partnership works as planned, the strategic partnership could strengthen ASML's position in advanced chipmaking. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues indicates a year-over-year increase of 23.8%.

How Competitors Fare Against ASML

ASML operates in a broader ecosystem of semiconductor equipment makers. Its notable peers in the chipmaking equipment space are Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT and Lam Research LRCX.

Applied Materials is also tapping into AI demand. The company posted $7.3 billion in sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, driven by strong demand for its advanced packaging tools used in AI chips. 

Lam Research is seeing early success with its new Akara etch tool, which has won deals with memory makers preparing for AI workloads. Just like ASML, both AMAT and LRCX are trying to grow by making chip equipment that supports AI. Their efforts show how major players in the industry are betting on AI growth while keeping an eye on global risks.

ASML’s Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Shares of ASML Holding have risen 17.4% year to date compared with the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s growth of 22.3%.

ASML YTD Price Return Performance

From a valuation standpoint, ASML trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 8.52, significantly higher than the sector’s average of 7.09.

ASML Forward 12-Month P/S Ratio

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASML Holding’s 2025 and 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of approximately 35.6% and 0.7%, respectively. Estimates for 2025 and 2026 earnings have both been revised upward in the past seven days.

 
ASML Holding currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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