Japan’s major semiconductor equipment makers have now all reported Q1 FY2027 results (the quarter ended June 2026), and the numbers draw a sharp line: companies that captured generative AI and HBM (high-bandwidth memory) demand posted strong growth, while those more exposed to foundry and logic demand struggled. EE Times Japan rounded up the results on August 19, 2026.
What This Article Covers
- Tokyo Electron, Advantest, Disco, and Kokusai Electric’s strong revenue and profit growth
- Why SCREEN Holdings saw revenue and profit decline
- Nikon’s Precision Equipment segment and the broader industry picture
Overview
According to each company’s earnings filings, companies that captured AI data center investment and HBM-related high-value-added product demand posted sharp gains, while SCREEN Holdings — whose business skews toward general-purpose foundry and logic equipment — saw both revenue and profit decline. Within Japan’s semiconductor equipment industry, exposure to AI and memory-related capex is proving to be the key differentiator this quarter.
Details
The following figures, confirmed from each company’s earnings filing, cover the quarter from April to June 2026 (consolidated, year-over-year).
- Tokyo Electron: Revenue of ¥732.4 billion (+33.3%), operating profit of ¥211.4 billion (+46.1%). High-value-added product demand for generative AI data centers drove results; the company raised its first-half FY2027 ordinary profit forecast from ¥437.0 billion to ¥464.0 billion
- Advantest: Revenue of ¥367.5 billion (+39.3%), operating profit of ¥190.0 billion (+53.3%), driven by surging demand for testers used in high-performance AI chips; full-year forecast raised to revenue of ¥1.714 trillion (+51.9%) and operating profit of ¥846.0 billion (+69.5%)
- Disco: Revenue of ¥114.31 billion (+27.1%), operating profit of ¥49.03 billion (+42.2%), on continued generative-AI-driven data center investment and strong shipments of high-value-added products for advanced logic and HBM
- Kokusai Electric: Revenue of ¥75.41 billion (+45.6%), adjusted operating profit of ¥17.37 billion (+59.3%); full-year forecast raised to revenue of ¥3.4 trillion (+44.6%) and operating profit of ¥79.4 billion (+89.8%), driven by accelerating generative-AI-related capex in DRAM and logic
- SCREEN Holdings: Revenue of ¥121.775 billion (-10.3%), operating profit of ¥14.368 billion (-41.1%). Its core semiconductor production equipment (SPE) business struggled on lower foundry and logic equipment sales (segment revenue -15.0%, segment operating profit -44.0%). Even so, the company raised its full-year forecast to revenue of ¥743.0 billion (+22.7%) and operating profit of ¥156.5 billion (+27.7%)
- Nikon (Precision Equipment segment): Revenue of ¥38.2 billion (+13.2%), driven by higher sales of ArF dry lithography systems, though a ¥4.1 billion inventory valuation loss weighed on segment profit. Company-wide, Nikon posted an operating loss of ¥997 million (versus a ¥1.191 billion loss a year earlier), remaining in the red overall
Lasertec and Canon were excluded from this comparison, as their fiscal years end in June and December respectively, making a direct April-June comparison inapplicable.
Industry Impact
Whether a company can capture generative AI and HBM demand has become the single biggest factor separating winners from laggards among Japan’s semiconductor equipment makers this quarter. Tokyo Electron, Advantest, Disco, and Kokusai Electric all raised their full-year guidance, suggesting industry-wide confidence that AI-driven capex will remain strong at least through the second half of 2026. Meanwhile, companies like SCREEN Holdings, with a higher exposure to general-purpose foundry and logic equipment, are more exposed to the current demand slowdown in that segment.
Relevance to Japan
These are earnings results from some of Japan’s flagship semiconductor equipment makers, directly tied to the competitiveness, employment, and capital investment trends of Japan’s semiconductor industry. The strong results from Tokyo Electron, Advantest, and Disco in particular underscore Japan’s continued presence in the AI semiconductor supply chain.
What to Watch Next
- Whether the raised full-year guidance from these companies holds through FY2027
- Whether SCREEN Holdings’ foundry and logic equipment demand recovers in the second half
- The broader industry picture including companies with different fiscal year-ends, such as Lasertec and Canon
Summary
Japan’s semiconductor equipment makers’ Q1 FY2027 results show a clear split: Tokyo Electron, Advantest, Disco, and Kokusai Electric posted sharp revenue and profit growth on generative AI and HBM demand, while SCREEN Holdings — more exposed to foundry and logic equipment — saw both decline. AI-driven capex continues to be the dominant force shaping results across the industry, and it’s worth continuing to track each company’s results going forward.
