Semiconductor equipment stocks soared in after-hours and premarket trading on Wednesday after two key industry players delivered stunning earnings beats and raised their forward guidance, signaling that the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom remains firmly intact — a development with significant positive spillover for the cryptocurrency sector.
Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR) saw its stock explode more than 40% in extended trading after reporting fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $18.8 million, up from $14.1 million a year earlier, and adjusted earnings of 11 cents per share versus expectations of a one-cent loss. Bookings rocketed to a record $60.7 million, with effective backlog reaching $100.6 million. Management forecast fiscal 2027 revenue of $130 million to $150 million, representing roughly 160% to 200% growth. The company, once heavily reliant on silicon-carbide chips for electric vehicles, now expects AI processors to generate about 70% of its revenue, with silicon photonics contributing another 15% to 20%.
Separately, ASML Holding raised its full-year 2026 net revenue forecast to between €43 billion and €45 billion, a 16% increase at the midpoint, and guided third-quarter revenue of €11.5 billion, well above the consensus of €10.37 billion. Second-quarter revenue hit €9.33 billion and net income €2.92 billion, both surpassing estimates. CEO Christophe Fouquet cited “extremely strong” order intake driven by AI-related investments and progress in AI technologies, with customers like TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron accelerating capacity expansions.
These results underscore that demand for advanced logic and memory chips — the backbone of AI training and inference — continues to intensify. For the cryptocurrency industry, this has dual importance. First, a robust semiconductor capital expenditure cycle ensures steady innovation and supply of high-performance computing hardware, which is crucial for crypto mining operations reliant on ASICs and GPUs. The record bookings and planned capacity increases for EUV and DUV lithography systems signal that chipmakers are scaling up to meet future demand, reducing the risk of hardware shortages that could spike costs for miners. Second, the ongoing AI boom directly benefits decentralized compute and AI-related crypto projects, such as those focused on distributed GPU rendering or tokenized AI services, as the underlying hardware ecosystem expands.
Analysts at William Blair estimate the market for AI-processor burn-in equipment could reach $1.5 billion to $2.3 billion by 2030, while ASML’s updated guidance implies fourth-quarter revenue of €14.41 billion, far above prior expectations. The momentum suggests that the infrastructure buildout will continue for years, creating a favorable macro environment for both traditional tech and crypto markets.
