TSMC is the world’s leading contract manufacturer of advanced computer chips.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, usually called TSMC, operates as a dedicated semiconductor foundry. It manufactures chips designed by other companies, including processors and accelerators used in smartphones, computers, and AI systems.
TSMC was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang, who helped establish the pure-play foundry model. Instead of designing and selling its own branded chips as its main business, TSMC focuses on producing semiconductor designs for customers that lack their own fabrication plants.
This role makes TSMC especially important to the market-cap rankings of technology companies. Firms such as Nvidia and Apple can concentrate on chip architecture and product design while outsourcing fabrication. TSMC is not the same as ASML: ASML makes lithography machines used by chip manufacturers, whereas TSMC manufactures chips.