TSMC manufactures chips designed by Apple, Nvidia, and other semiconductor companies.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, commonly called TSMC, was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Its business model focused on dedicated contract manufacturing: customers design chips, while TSMC fabricates them in specialized semiconductor factories called foundries.
This separation allowed companies without their own large-scale manufacturing plants to develop advanced processors. TSMC became a leading producer of chips for smartphones, personal computers, data centers, communications equipment, and artificial-intelligence systems.
TSMC is often confused with companies such as Nvidia because both are central to modern chips, but they perform different roles. Nvidia primarily designs processors and accelerator systems, while TSMC manufactures chips for many customers. The company also operates major facilities outside Taiwan, including plants in Arizona, Japan, and China, although Taiwan remains its main manufacturing base.