Top 10 semiconductor equipment stocks to watch in 2026

Semiconductor equipment companies build the machines, materials and process tools that chipmakers use to manufacture integrated circuits. This list covers ten of them, ranging from ASML Holding N.V. ($ASML) – which makes the lithography systems used to print circuit patterns onto silicon – to Camtek Ltd ($CAMT), which focuses on metrology and inspection tools for advanced packaging and mid-end chip production.

How we built this list: We selected these companies based on their industry and ordered them by market capitalisation. Prices are updated daily, and the list and supporting content are reviewed roughly every quarter. All data is sourced from Stake. This list isn't a recommendation and isn't ordered by suitability.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Source: Stake market data. Figures in US$. Data updated as of 29 September 2026.

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1. ASML Holding N.V. ($ASML)

ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) share price over the last year: started at US$968.09, ended at US$1,834.39, a change of +89.5%. Range over the period: high US$1,989.44, low US$936.19. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$1,834.39 · Daily: 3.6% · Market cap: US$706.65B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Lithography is how chipmakers press circuit patterns onto silicon, and ASML Holding N.V. ($ASML) makes the equipment that does it. Its TWINSCAN systems use different light sources – including krypton fluoride and argon fluoride – to expose wafer surfaces at varying levels of resolution. Immersion variants add liquid between the lens and the wafer, allowing finer detail at each exposure. $ASML also produces metrology and inspection systems, which manufacturers use to check their work throughout the production process.

Based in the Netherlands, the company operates through subsidiaries across Europe, the Americas and major chip-producing markets in Asia, including South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. CEO Christophe Fouquet leads a workforce of 43,520 people across those operations.

2. Lam Research ($LRCX)

Lam Research (LRCX) share price over the last year: started at US$133.90, ended at US$323.86, a change of +141.9%. Range over the period: high US$433.33, low US$131.37. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$323.86 · Daily: 3.0% · Market cap: US$393.54B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Lam Research Corporation ($LRCX) makes the equipment that chipmakers use to build the layers of a semiconductor – processes like depositing thin films, etching patterns into silicon and cleaning wafers between steps. Its product line covers a wide range of fabrication stages, from the ALTUS and SABRE systems through to the Da Vinci and EOS series. Those machines end up inside the fabs that produce chips for mobile phones, cloud servers, automotive systems and data storage devices.

$LRCX sells into three main customer groups: memory manufacturers making products like dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and non-volatile memory, foundries that produce chips on contract, and integrated device manufacturers that design and make their own chips. The company employs 23,300 people and is led by CEO Tim Archer. It also offers services around nanoscale manufacturing, plasma and fluidics – meaning its relationship with customers extends beyond the initial equipment sale.

3. Applied Materials ($AMAT)

Applied Materials (AMAT) share price over the last year: started at US$204.74, ended at US$512.01, a change of +150.1%. Range over the period: high US$723.00, low US$204.74. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$512.01 · Daily: 5.2% · Market cap: US$386.29B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Applied Materials ($AMAT) sits behind almost every stage of chip manufacturing – not making chips itself, but building the tools that make chips possible. Its Semiconductor Systems segment covers the equipment that etches, deposits, planarises and inspects silicon wafers, while the AGS segment provides the services, spare parts and factory automation software that keep those machines running.

Gary Dickerson leads a workforce of 36,500 people whose work shows up across a wide range of end products, from mobile phones and AI data centre servers to automobiles and industrial electronics. The breadth of those end markets reflects how many industries now depend on advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

4. KLA Corp ($KLAC)

KLA Corp (KLAC) share price over the last year: started at US$107.86, ended at US$196.53, a change of +82.2%. Range over the period: high US$301.71, low US$98.28. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$196.53 · Daily: 3.9% · Market cap: US$246.87B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

KLA Corp ($KLAC) sits at the inspection and measurement end of chip manufacturing – the part of the process where faults get caught before they become costly. Its Semiconductor Process Control segment produces tools that scan wafers, reticles and integrated circuits for defects, feeding data analytics back into the production line. That's a different role from the machines that actually deposit or etch material, though $KLAC does that too through its Specialty Semiconductor Process segment.

The third piece of the business moves beyond silicon entirely. The PCB and Component Inspection segment covers printed circuit boards, flat panel displays and packaged components – helping electronics manufacturers verify quality and pattern circuitry on a range of substrates. CEO Rick Wallace leads a workforce of 17,000 people across these three segments.

5. Teradyne ($TER)

Teradyne (TER) share price over the last year: started at US$137.64, ended at US$403.02, a change of +192.8%. Range over the period: high US$483.84, low US$132.08. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$403.02 · Daily: 0.4% · Market cap: US$62.74B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Chip testing happens after the wafer leaves the fab: automated equipment runs each finished semiconductor through a series of checks to confirm it performs to spec before it ships. Teradyne ($TER) makes those systems, with its Semiconductor Test segment covering standard logic chips through to storage and system-level test products.

The company's work extends well past the test floor. Its Robotics segment designs collaborative robotic arms and autonomous mobile robots, while the Product Test division covers defence and aerospace instrumentation, circuit-board inspection, wireless test systems, and silicon photonics testing. Gregory Smith leads the company's roughly 6,600 employees across those three businesses.

6. ASM International NV ($ASMIY)

ASM International NV (ASMIY) share price over the last year: started at US$601.00, ended at US$1,008.49, a change of +67.8%. Range over the period: high US$1,243.50, low US$545.22. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$1,008.49 · Daily: 3.4% · Market cap: US$49.63B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

ASM International NV ($ASMIY) builds equipment for two phases of chipmaking. The front-end segment makes tools for wafer processing, with a focus on depositing thin films onto silicon during fabrication. The back-end segment handles assembly and packaging – producing the equipment and materials used to separate wafers into individual circuits. $ASMIY employs 4,519 people across operations in Europe, the U.S., Japan and South East Asia, with Hichem M'Saad as chief executive.

7. Entegris ($ENTG)

Entegris (ENTG) share price over the last year: started at US$92.46, ended at US$154.77, a change of +67.4%. Range over the period: high US$184.00, low US$68.80. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$154.77 · Daily: 2.7% · Market cap: US$23.02B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Entegris ($ENTG) sits a step back from the chipmakers themselves, supplying the materials and process solutions that keep semiconductor fabrication running cleanly and precisely. Its Materials Solutions segment produces the chemical inputs used at various stages of chip manufacturing – deposition materials, etch and clean formulations, CMP slurries and pads, and specialty gases for ion implantation.

The other segment, Advanced Purity Solutions, focuses on keeping contaminants out of the process entirely. It makes filtration and purification systems designed to control the purity of liquids and gases, and the cleanliness of wafers, at every stage where a stray particle could compromise a device. $ENTG employs around 7,700 people, with manufacturing and research facilities across the U.S., Canada, China and Germany, among other locations.

8. Onto Innovation ($ONTO)

Onto Innovation (ONTO) share price over the last year: started at US$129.22, ended at US$304.69, a change of +135.8%. Range over the period: high US$378.45, low US$121.34. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$304.69 · Daily: 5.5% · Market cap: US$14.17B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Onto Innovation ($ONTO) makes the measurement and inspection tools that semiconductor manufacturers use to check their work – detecting defects, characterising wafer surfaces and analysing yield at various stages of chip production. Its customers include silicon wafer makers, integrated circuit fabricators and advanced packaging manufacturers, and its tools also serve makers of LEDs, power devices, RF filters, CMOS image sensors and micro-electromechanical systems.

The company's product portfolio covers automated and integrated metrology systems, macro defect inspection, opaque film metrology and yield analysis, among others. Three advanced lines – FAaST, CnCV and MBIR – sit alongside these core offerings. Under CEO Mike Plisinski, the company employs around 1,615 people.

9. Amkor Technology ($AMKR)

Amkor Technology (AMKR) share price over the last year: started at US$28.40, ended at US$54.14, a change of +90.6%. Range over the period: high US$93.55, low US$28.26. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$54.14 · Daily: 1.8% · Market cap: US$13.21B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Amkor Technology ($AMKR) sits at a stage of chip production that often gets overlooked: once a wafer is fabricated, it still needs to be packaged into a form that can actually go into a device. $AMKR handles that work on behalf of chipmakers, offering outsourced packaging and testing so its customers don't have to own those capabilities themselves.

The company serves integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), fabless semiconductor companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and contract foundries. That breadth means $AMKR's workload tends to move with overall chip demand across a range of end markets. Its services run from wafer bumping and back-grinding through to final system-level testing and drop shipment.

Advanced packaging – particularly for artificial intelligence applications – is a focus area, according to the company. CEO Kevin Engel leads a workforce of 30,800 people across the business.

10. Camtek ($CAMT)

Camtek (CAMT) share price over the last year: started at US$105.05, ended at US$152.82, a change of +45.5%. Range over the period: high US$207.46, low US$94.40. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$152.82 · Daily: 7.2% · Market cap: US$6.66B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Camtek Ltd ($CAMT) builds the equipment that checks chips for flaws – specifically metrology tools, which measure microscopic features, and inspection systems that scan wafers and packages for defects. The company focuses on the mid-end of the semiconductor production process, serving segments like advanced packaging, memory, CMOS image sensors (which capture light in cameras and phones), MEMS (tiny mechanical sensors used in everything from airbags to microphones), and radio frequency components.

Based in Israel, $CAMT operates through subsidiaries across the U.S., Europe, South East Asia, Japan and Korea, with more than seven offices globally. The company says it tailors its solutions to individual customer requirements rather than offering a one-size-fits-all product. CEO Rafi Amit leads a workforce of 709 people.

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Common questions

How do I invest in semiconductor equipment stocks in New Zealand?

All ten companies in this list trade on U.S. exchanges, so you'd buy them through a share trading platform that provides access to U.S. markets. From there, you search by ticker and place an order during U.S. trading hours. Some broad technology ETFs also hold semiconductor equipment names, offering exposure across several companies through a single fund.

What are the key risks of semiconductor equipment stocks?

Some of the key risks include the cyclical nature of chipmakers' capital expenditure – when demand for chips softens, equipment budgets tend to be cut quickly, and suppliers feel that directly in their revenues. Revenue concentration is another: several companies here depend heavily on a small number of large chipmaker customers. Export controls and geopolitical restrictions on sales to certain countries can also limit where these companies can do business. Because these stocks are priced in USD, movements in the NZD/USD exchange rate affect what you pay to buy and what any proceeds are worth in New Zealand dollars.

How do the types of companies in this list differ?

Most companies here design equipment used in chip fabrication – covering lithography, etching, deposition, metrology and inspection, or testing at various stages of production. $ENTG takes a different approach, supplying the specialty chemicals and filtration materials consumed during fabrication rather than capital equipment itself. $AMKR operates further along the chain, providing outsourced packaging and testing after wafers leave the fab. Even within the equipment group, some companies focus on front-end wafer processing steps while others concentrate on testing finished chips.

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Disclaimer

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. When you invest, your capital is at risk. You should consider your own investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs before making an investment decision. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may receive back less than your original investment. As always, do your own research and consider seeking appropriate financial advice before investing.

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