TSMC, one of the world's most valuable semiconductor companies by market capitalization, was founded in 1987 in Taiwan.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company pioneered the dedicated semiconductor foundry model. Instead of designing chips under its own consumer brand, TSMC manufactures integrated circuits designed by other companies.
Morris Chang founded TSMC after a long career in the semiconductor industry, including senior work at Texas Instruments. The company’s model allowed customers to avoid building their own fabrication plants, helping specialized chip designers scale production.
TSMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and operates fabrication facilities in Taiwan and other countries. It manufactures chips for customers across computing, communications, automobiles, and consumer electronics. South Korea is home to Samsung Electronics, another major semiconductor producer, which is why the two countries are sometimes confused in industry questions.