April 23 (Reuters) - BE Semiconductor Industries (BESI) on Thursday reported quarterly orders above last year's level, reflecting growth across all its markets and particularly strong demand for hybrid bonding.
Investors are banking on growing orders for Besi's hybrid bonding solutions, a chip technology allowing two chips to be bonded directly on top of each other, citing its first-mover advantage amid a surge in demand for AI-enabling technology.
Besi said its order bookings, an important indicator of future growth, jumped 104.5% to 269.7 million euros ($315.5 million) in the first quarter, compared with 131.9 million euros last year.
"Favorable order trends in Q1 reflect the strength of Besi’s advanced packaging market position for next generation AI applications," CEO Richard Blickman said in a statement.
Investments in AI have been offsetting weak demand in automotive, PC and memory chips.
Recent results from firms in the chip industry, including TSMC, ASML and ASM International , have demonstrated that the sector is continuing to benefit from surging demand for AI chips.
Besi forecast its revenue to grow between 30% and 40% in the second quarter, compared with 184.9 million euros in the first quarter of 2026.
($1 = 0.8548 euros)
(Reporting by Ozan Ergenay in Gdansk, editing by Matt Scuffham)
