TSMC became the first publicly traded company founded in Taiwan to exceed a $1 trillion market capitalization.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, usually called TSMC, crossed the $1 trillion valuation level in 2024 as demand for advanced chips used in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing lifted expectations for its business. TSMC is especially important because it manufactures chips designed by other companies.
The company was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang, who helped pioneer the dedicated semiconductor foundry model. Instead of selling mainly its own branded processors, TSMC produces integrated circuits for customers such as fabless chip designers. This separation between chip design and manufacturing became central to the modern semiconductor industry.
TSMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and operates fabrication facilities in Taiwan and elsewhere. It is distinct from Samsung Electronics, which both designs products and manufactures chips. Market capitalization measures the value investors assign to TSMC’s listed shares; it is not the same as the replacement cost of its factories or the total value of chips it manufactures.