Which company operates the world’s largest contract semiconductor foundry, TSMC?

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company operates the world’s largest contract semiconductor foundry.

TSMC manufactures chips designed by other companies rather than primarily selling chips under its own consumer brand. This foundry model allowed firms such as Nvidia, Apple, and AMD to design processors while relying on TSMC for fabrication.

The company was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang, with government support and technology cooperation involving Philips. TSMC helped establish the dedicated-foundry business model and became a central supplier for advanced processors used in phones, computers, vehicles, and data centers.

TSMC’s market capitalization often places it among the world’s most valuable companies, but its ranking changes with share prices. It is also commonly confused with semiconductor designers: TSMC primarily manufactures chips, while companies such as Nvidia mainly design them.