TSMC is the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry by market capitalization.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, usually called TSMC, specializes in manufacturing chips designed by other companies. This business model is known as a pure-play foundry model. Customers include major designers that do not operate their own leading-edge fabrication networks.
TSMC was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang. Its rise helped establish the modern division between chip design and chip manufacturing, allowing companies such as Nvidia and Qualcomm to focus on architecture while outsourcing production.
TSMC is often confused with Samsung Electronics and Intel because all three are major semiconductor businesses. Samsung sells many products of its own, and Intel historically designed and manufactured its own processors. TSMC’s defining distinction is its dedicated contract-manufacturing role.