TSMC, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Hsinchu, is best known for contract semiconductor manufacturing.
TSMC stands for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Morris Chang established it in Taiwan in 1987, creating a company focused on manufacturing chips for customers rather than competing with those customers in chip design. This model is called a dedicated semiconductor foundry.
The company produces chips using process technologies supplied and developed through extensive research and engineering. Its customers include leading designers of processors for smartphones, personal computers, data centers, and artificial-intelligence systems. That customer base gives TSMC a central role in modern electronics.
Hsinchu is a major technology center in Taiwan and is home to TSMC’s headquarters. The company’s market value can move with expectations for chip demand, manufacturing capacity, and the continuing shift toward more advanced semiconductors.