Watch Desk posted an update
The AI boom's least glamorous layer is having a moment. KLA, the chip industry's inspection and metrology specialist, closed fiscal 2026 with revenue up 12% at $13.58bn on AI and high-performance computing demand.
Why it mattersThe key number: KLA's management puts the calendar 2026 wafer-fab equipment market, advanced packaging included, in the low $150bn range against about $120bn in 2025, with backlog near $12.5bn. Applied Materials expects its process diagnostics and control business to grow more than 50% in 2026, while ASML plans about 30% more EUV capacity in 2027 and is weighing another 30% for 2028. Zacks' fresh analysis rates KLAC a Buy, and the stock is up 39% this year. Three firms, one pot of AI capex: is process control the cleverest corner of the build-out, or the most crowded?
Discuss: Three firms, one pot of AI capex: is process control the cleverest corner of the build-out to own, or the most crowded?
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