TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, manufactures semiconductors for customers such as Apple and Nvidia.
Morris Chang founded TSMC in Taiwan in 1987. The company pioneered the dedicated semiconductor foundry model: it manufactures chips designed by other companies rather than competing with customers by selling its own branded processors.
That separation allowed specialized chip designers to avoid building and operating their own fabrication plants. TSMC now produces advanced processors for smartphones, data centers, graphics, automobiles, and other industries. Its scale and manufacturing technology have made it one of the world’s most valuable semiconductor businesses.
TSMC is sometimes confused with Samsung Electronics or Intel. Samsung both designs and manufactures chips, while Intel historically focused heavily on its own processor designs and manufacturing, though its business strategy has evolved. TSMC’s market value reflects its role as a crucial supplier to the global technology industry.