◆3 sources
Applied Materials increased its stake in the Dutch chip-equipment supplier Besi to about 20% and said it wanted to strengthen cooperation between the companies. It cited Besi's growing role in energy-efficient computing for artificial intelligence.
Applied Materials described the holding as a long-term investment and said it has no interest in increasing the stake further.
4 sources
Chip-equipment supplier Besi booked €342 million in new orders in the third quarter of 2026, exceeding analysts’ expectation of €298 million. The Duiven-based company continues to benefit from demand for advanced chips used in artificial-intelligence applications.
6 sources
The AEX reached a new closing record of 1,142.88 points on Friday, after a volatile week in which technology and AI-related shares were first sold off and later partly recovered. ASML, ASMI and Besi came under particular pressure as investors questioned whether major investment in artificial intelligence would justify high valuations; the companies later rebounded after comments by Nvidia chief Jensen Huang eased concerns about the finances of data-centre company CoreWeave.