Which Taiwanese company manufactures chips designed by firms such as Apple and Nvidia and is commonly abbreviated TSMC?

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company manufactures chips designed by companies such as Apple and Nvidia.

TSMC was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang. Its major innovation was the dedicated foundry model: TSMC manufactures integrated circuits for customers that design chips but do not necessarily operate their own fabrication plants.

This separation between chip design and manufacturing became central to the modern semiconductor industry. TSMC produces processors and other components for smartphones, computers, data centers, automobiles, and advanced artificial-intelligence systems.

TSMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and has expanded manufacturing and research operations internationally. It is not the same kind of company as Nvidia, which designs graphics processors, or Intel, which has historically both designed and manufactured chips. TSMC's manufacturing scale and advanced process technology underpin its exceptionally high market value.