April 25 (Reuters) - KLA Corp ( KLAC ) forecast

fourth-quarter revenue above analysts' expectations on Thursday,

anticipating strong demand for its chip-making tools from

semiconductor makers looking to tap into a surge in demand for

use in AI applications.

Shares of the Milpitas, California-based company rose more

than 2% in extended trading.

KLA forecast revenue in the range of $2.50 billion, plus or

minus $125 million, compared with estimates of $2.42 billion,

according to LSEG data.

Orders for chip equipment makers such as KLA have been

boosted by enterprises dialing up spending on high-end chips to

power AI servers and applications to improve their

infrastructure.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, had

said earlier this month that it expects quarterly sales to grow

as much as 30%. Peer Lam Research ( LRCX ) also forecast upbeat

quarterly revenue on Wednesday.

KLA expects adjusted diluted earnings per share of $6.07,

plus or minus 60 cents, compared with estimates of $5.68 per

share.

The company reported third-quarter revenue of $2.36 billion,

beating the average analyst estimate of $2.31 billion.

KLA reported earnings per share of $4.43, compared with

$5.03 a year earlier.