By Nathan Vifflin and Ozan Ergenay
April 21 (Reuters) - Computer chip equipment maker ASM International on Tuesday forecast stronger second-quarter revenue guidance than markets expected, after a first-quarter report above expectations.
Europe's second-largest maker of chipmaking tools forecast second-quarter revenue at around 980 million euros ($1.15 billion), against LSEG data estimates of 883.9 million euros. First-quarter revenue reached 862.5 million euros versus the 828.5 million euros analysts
expected.
Analysts said the forecast, published after the European market close, was strong enough to take the focus from a decision to stop publishing keenly watched new order figures on the grounds they are too volatile.
"With a beat in guidance like this, we couldn't care less about no longer providing bookings numbers," Degroof Petercam analyst Michael Roeg said in an email.
Sector major ASML last week also raised its 2026 guidance as demand for artificial intelligence capacity appears resilient despite the economic disruption of the Middle Eastern war.
ASM's Chief Executive Hichem M'Saad said in a statement customers were not only investing in the most advanced technology available now, but testing production lines for the next generation of more powerful chips. These could be used in Nvidia's and Apple's products.
"Customers are stepping up spending at today's leading-edge nodes, in addition to pilot-line investments for the 1.4nm node which are expected to start in the second half of the year," he said.
($1 = 0.8513 euros)
(Reporting by Nathan Vifflin and Ozan Ergenay in Gdansk; Editing by Jon Boyle, Chris Reese and Barbara Lewis)
