The article compares AMD and ASML as semiconductor investment options for 2026. AMD designs AI chips for data centers with strong 34.3% revenue growth, while ASML manufactures the lithography equipment essential for producing advanced chips. The author recommends ASML due to its monopolistic position serving the entire AI chip industry, despite AMD's impressive performance. ASML trades at more conservative valuations with a Forward P/E of 41.6x versus AMD's 84.5x.
Axe note: ASML's near-monopoly on chip-making equipment gives it an edge over AMD's fast-growing but competitive chip design business.