Besi orders more than double as AI and hybrid bonding tech drive demand

July 23 : BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) on Thursday reported quarterly orders significantly above last year's level, fuelled by strong demand for AI, hybrid bonding, photonics and data centres.Investors are betting on rising demand for Besi's hybrid bonding solutions, a chip-packaging technology that enables two chips to be directly bonded together, citing the company's first-mover advantage as AI-driven demand accelerates.The Dutch semiconductor equipment maker said its order bookings, an important indicator for future growth, more than doubled to €292.9 million ($334.8 million) in the second quarter, compared with €128 million a year ago.The number of customers using Besi's hybrid bonding technology increased to 21 in the quarter from 15 at the end of last year, as the technology ga