TSMC, formally Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, is the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry by manufacturing scale and market value among foundry companies.
TSMC manufactures chips designed by other companies rather than selling a broad range of chips under its own consumer brand. This business model is called a pure-play foundry model. Customers include major technology companies that rely on advanced manufacturing processes for processors used in phones, computers, data centers, and artificial-intelligence systems.
TSMC was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang. Its development helped create the modern semiconductor supply chain, in which design, manufacturing, packaging, and sales can be handled by different specialized firms.
TSMC is also a major component of global market-cap rankings. Its importance grew as advanced chips became more valuable and as companies such as Nvidia depended on external foundries to manufacture their designs.