TSMC manufactures chips designed by companies such as Apple and Nvidia.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, commonly called TSMC, is the world's leading dedicated semiconductor foundry. A foundry manufactures chips designed by other companies, allowing customers to focus on architecture, software, and product development without owning comparable fabrication plants.
Morris Chang founded TSMC in Taiwan in 1987. The company helped establish the pure-play foundry model, in which manufacturing is separated from chip design. Its customers have included major technology companies producing smartphone processors, graphics processors, networking chips, and artificial-intelligence accelerators.
TSMC is different from a fabless designer such as Nvidia and from equipment supplier ASML. Nvidia designs chips but contracts manufacturing; ASML makes advanced lithography machines used by chipmakers. TSMC's advanced process technologies and enormous capital investment have made it one of the most valuable companies listed in Asia.