BE Semiconductor Industries (BESI) is attracting the attention of major American chip equipment manufacturers. Both Lam Research and Applied Materials are reportedly interested in acquiring the Duiven-based company. BESI is working with Morgan Stanley to evaluate approaches but says it wants to remain an independent company.
This is according to sources at Reuters. Talks began in mid-2025 but were delayed earlier this year due to geopolitical tensions between the US and the EU over Greenland. The acquisition of a Dutch company with strategic technology requires a national security review. Nevertheless, interested parties, including Lam Research, remain actively interested and talks have recently resumed.
BESI shares jumped by up to 14 percent to a record high on Friday after the news and later traded 10 percent higher. Trading in the shares was even briefly halted.
Applied Materials acquired a 9 percent stake in BESI in April 2025, becoming the largest shareholder. BESI and Applied Materials have been collaborating for some time in hybrid bonding, a technology that connects chips via copper-to-copper connections to enable faster data transfer and lower energy consumption. This collaboration resulted in the Kinex platform, the world’s first fully integrated die-to-wafer hybrid bonding system.
Strong growth at BESI
BESI is currently performing strongly. Orders in the fourth quarter of 2025 rose by 43 percent to 250 million euros, driven by data centers and demand for AI chips. The company previously closed a multi-million dollar deal for 26 hybrid bonding systems, presumably with Intel.
BESI responded by saying it would not comment on “market rumors” and stated that it would focus on implementing its strategy as an independent company. Morgan Stanley and Applied Materials also declined to comment. Lam Research did not respond to a request for clarification.