TSMC is the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer and is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang. It pioneered the dedicated foundry model, manufacturing chips designed by other companies instead of competing with customers by selling many of its own branded processors.
TSMC produces advanced semiconductors for customers across smartphones, computers, automobiles, and artificial intelligence. Its manufacturing scale and leading process technologies have made it a strategically important company and one of the world’s most valuable semiconductor businesses.
“Contract chip manufacturer” means a foundry fabricates chips designed by other firms. That differs from an integrated device manufacturer, such as Intel, which historically designed and manufactured many of its own processors.