TSMC is the Taiwan-based semiconductor company that manufactures chips designed by many leading technology companies.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Its central business model is the dedicated foundry: TSMC manufactures integrated circuits for customers that design chips but do not necessarily operate their own fabrication plants.
This separation helped create the modern fabless semiconductor industry. Companies can concentrate on processor architecture and chip design while contracting production to a specialized manufacturer. TSMC has produced chips for customers across computing, smartphones, automobiles, and other industries.
TSMC is often confused with Intel or Samsung Electronics because all three are major semiconductor companies. However, TSMC is especially identified with its pure-play foundry role and its large manufacturing footprint in Taiwan, with additional facilities elsewhere.