KLA Corporation reported record revenue of $4.136 billion for its fiscal first quarter and forecast $4.7 billion for the next, offering a near-term gauge of chipmaking-equipment demand.
The quarter ended Sept. 30, and KLA announced the results Oct. 28. Revenue was up 28.9% from $3.210 billion a year earlier. The company said revenue and its GAAP and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share each came in above their respective guidance midpoints.
KLA recorded net income of $1.549 billion, or $1.18 per diluted share, under generally accepted accounting principles. On a non-GAAP basis, net income was $1.603 billion and diluted earnings per share were $1.22.
Semiconductor Process Control generated $3.754 billion in revenue. Specialty Semiconductor Process contributed $139.5 million, while PCB and Component Inspection brought in $242.2 million.
For the fiscal second quarter, ending Dec. 31, KLA forecast revenue of $4.7 billion, with a $200 million margin on either side. Its guidance calls for GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.30 to $1.52 and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.33 to $1.55. More quarterly figures are in KLA’s results and revenue guidance.
President and CEO Rick Wallace cited AI infrastructure spending and changing chip design and production requirements as demand drivers. He pointed to advanced packaging, leading-edge foundry and logic designs, and increasingly complex memory needs.
KLA’s market outlook puts wafer fabrication equipment in the mid-$150 billion range for 2026 and above $200 billion in 2027. That market projection is distinct from the company’s revenue guidance. Further detail is available in KLA’s wafer-equipment market outlook.
