TSMC is the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry and one of the highest-valued companies by market capitalization.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, usually called TSMC, manufactures chips designed by other companies. This foundry model lets customers such as Apple, Nvidia, and AMD design processors without owning comparable fabrication plants.
TSMC was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang. Its rise helped create a modern division of labor in semiconductors: specialist firms design chips, while foundries manufacture them. TSMC has invested heavily in advanced process technologies and large fabrication facilities, known as fabs.
TSMC is not the same as a chip-design company. It generally does not sell consumer-branded processors under its own name. Its market value reflects the strategic importance of advanced manufacturing, especially for smartphones, data centers, artificial intelligence, and other computing systems.